Basketball Game Preview: Desert Pines Jaguars vs. Durango Trailblazers

The Desert Pines Jaguars will head out to square off against the Durango Trailblazers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

Desert Pines is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Liberty, who was ranked seventh at the time (Desert Pines was ranked 18th). Desert Pines fell 64-51 to Liberty on Wednesday.

Despite the loss, Desert Pines saw an underclassman step up: freshman Aaron McMorran shot 5-for-8 from downtown and dropped a double-double on 22 points and 11 rebounds. The dominant performance gave McMorran a new career-high in boards. Another player making a difference was Jaden Redding, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds.

Meanwhile, Durango also suffered a loss in their last game, but this one to Silverado by a score of 64-54. The Trailblazers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Durango's defeat dropped their record down to 13-11. As for Desert Pines, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-10 record this season.

Desert Pines came out on top in a nail-biter against Durango in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, sneaking past 57-54. Will Desert Pines repeat their success, or does Durango have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.