Basketball Game Preview: Shiprock Chieftains vs. Portales Rams

The Shiprock Chieftains will face off against the Portales Rams at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.

Last Thursday, Shiprock was beaten by Gallup 62-23. While losing is never fun, the Chieftains can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' New Mexico basketball rankings (they are ranked 51st, while the Bengals are ranked fourth).

Meanwhile, Portales came tearing into Friday's game with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 27.8 points), and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Wildcats, sneaking past 45-42. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Rams have posted since December 5, 2024.

Portales pushed their record up to 18-9 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.2 points over those games. As for Shiprock, their loss dropped their record down to 13-15.

Shiprock came up short against Portales in their previous matchup back in March of 2018, falling 65-54. Can Shiprock avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.