Basketball Game Preview: Stevens Falcons vs. Taft Raiders

The Stevens Falcons will head out to challenge the Taft Raiders at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Stevens is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Holmes: they outscored them in every quarter. Stevens enjoyed a cozy 65-51 win over Holmes on Tuesday. Given the Falcons' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 326th, while the Huskies are ranked 960th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Stevens' success was spearheaded by the efforts of Jose Ochoa, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 20 rebounds, and Cesar Roman, who went 7 for 11 en route to 17 points and three steals. That's the most steals Roman has posted since back in November of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Zane Schunior, who posted ten points.

Stevens smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in five consecutive games.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Taft). They claimed a resounding 85-51 victory over Holmes. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Raiders as it put an end to their 12-game losing streak.

Taft's victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-20. As for Stevens, the win got them back to even at 12-12.

Stevens strolled past Taft in their previous meeting back in December of 2024 by a score of 62-43. The rematch might be a little tougher for Stevens since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.