Basketball Game Preview: Aztec Tigers vs. Kirtland Central Broncos

Aztec hasn't had much luck against Kirtland Central recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Aztec Tigers will square off against the Kirtland Central Broncos at 7:00 p.m.

Last Saturday, Aztec was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 40-35 to Shiprock.

Jazzlyn Gomez

Rebounds

02/08/25 @ Miyamura	15
02/15/25 vs Shiprock	13
02/13/25 @ Bloomfield	11
01/16/25 vs Menaul	9
12/14/24 vs Durango	9
+ 19 more games

Aztec might have lost, but man, Jazzlyn Gomez was a machine: she dropped a double-double with 18 points and 13 boards. Gomez is becoming a predictor of Aztec's success: when she posts at least ten rebounds the team is 2-1 (and 10-11 when she doesn't).

Meanwhile, Kirtland Central entered their tilt with Bloomfield on Tuesday with ten consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with 11. They blew past the Bobcats 68-26. Given the Broncos' advantage in MaxPreps' New Mexico basketball rankings (they are ranked third, while the Bobcats are ranked 59th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Kirtland Central pushed their record up to 23-2 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.7 points over those games. As for Aztec, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-12.

Aztec was dealt a bruising 65-28 loss at the hands of Kirtland Central in their previous matchup on February 1st. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Aztec was down 45-16.