Basketball Game Preview: Sandia Matadors vs. Santa Fe Demons

Sandia has won seven straight games at home, while Santa Fe has won seven straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Tuesday. The Sandia Matadors will welcome the Santa Fe Demons at 7:00 p.m. Sandia knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 20 matches -- so hopefully Santa Fe likes a good challenge.

Last Thursday, Sandia blew past Eldorado, posting a 94-66 victory. The Matadors have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine games by 20 points or more this season.

Zaire Ndyabagye was his usual excellent self, almost dropping a double-double on 24 points and nine boards. The contest was his third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Isaiah Brown, who went 6 of 14 en route to 17 points and six assists.

Sandia was working as a unit and finished the game with 30 assists. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now racked up at least 20 assists in six consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Santa Fe faced La Cueva in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. Santa Fe walked away with a 59-49 win over La Cueva.

Sandia is also on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 14 games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-3 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 78.5 points per game. As for Santa Fe, their victory bumped their record up to 15-5.

Sandia came out on top in a nail-biter against Santa Fe when the teams last played back in March of 2022, sneaking past 49-46. Will Sandia repeat their success, or does Santa Fe have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.