Basketball Game Preview: Rio Rico Hawks vs. Tanque Verde Hawks

The Rio Rico Hawks will challenge the Tanque Verde Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Rio Rico will come in still looking for their first win of the season.

Rio Rico is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Ironwood Ridge on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Rio Rico was outmatched by Ironwood Ridge and fell 86-42. The Hawks were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 54-22.

Meanwhile, Tanque Verde lost 86-62 to San Tan Foothills on Tuesday.

Rio Rico will need focus on slowing down Rich Knott, one of several Tanque Verde players who made an impact when they last played. He went 8 of 15 on his way to 24 points in addition to eight boards and seven assists. That's the most points Knott has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Jacob Dickens, who posted 11 points and three steals.

Tanque Verde's defeat dropped their record down to 4-6. As for Rio Rico, their loss dropped their record down to 0-8.

Rio Rico came up short against Tanque Verde when the teams last played back in November of 2023, falling 73-63. Can Rio Rico avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.