Basketball Game Preview: Hayfork Timberjacks vs. Maxwell Panthers

The Hayfork Timberjacks just played last yesterday, but they'll still welcome the Maxwell Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The timing is sure in Hayfork's favor as the team sits on three straight wins at home while Maxwell has been banged up by eight consecutive losses on the road dating back to last season.

On Monday, Hayfork got the win against Happy Camp by a conclusive 51-27. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 38-6.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Hayfork to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kaelynn Bayley, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Lydia Yarbrough, who posted five points along with nine steals and seven boards.

Hayfork smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 32 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in six consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Maxwell played a tough game back in December of 2024 in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against Hamilton, falling 44-20.

Despite the defeat, Maxwell saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Ruby Herrera put up 14 points.

Hayfork has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 6-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.5 points per game. As for Maxwell, their loss dropped their record down to 1-9.