Basketball Game Preview: Tohatchi Cougars vs. Zuni Thunderbirds

Tohatchi is 9-1 against Zuni since February of 2020 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Tohatchi Cougars will face off against the Zuni Thunderbirds at 7:00 p.m. Tohatchi will be looking to extend their current nine-game winning streak.

If Tohatchi beats Zuni with 70 points on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. Tohatchi took down Wingate 70-55 on Friday. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' New Mexico basketball rankings (they are ranked 26th, while the Bears are ranked 89th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Tohatchi relied on the efforts of Josh Dawes, who posted 26 points, and Kyle Yazzie, who put up 18 points. Dawes' evening made it 11 games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Valentino Dawes, who scored seven points.

Meanwhile, Zuni hadn't done well against Newcomb recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. Zuni claimed a resounding 63-34 win over Newcomb. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Thunderbirds have posted since December 13, 2024.

Tohatchi's win was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-2. As for Zuni, the victory snapped their losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 11-8 record.

Tohatchi was able to grind out a solid win over Zuni when the teams last played back in February of 2024, winning 68-56. Will Tohatchi repeat their success, or does Zuni have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.