Basketball Game Preview: Hayfork Timberjacks vs. Butte Valley Bulldogs

The Hayfork Timberjacks will take on the Butte Valley Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.

Last Monday, Hayfork was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 41-37 to Surprise Valley.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Butte Valley). They put the hurt on Tulelake with a sharp 63-42 victory on Friday. The Bulldogs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 21 points or more this season.

Butte Valley's win came from a few key players Hayfork will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kohen Thomas, who went 6 of 10 en route to 18 points along with eight rebounds and six assists. That's the most points she has posted since back in December of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Morgan Anderson, who went 9 for 21 on her way to 21 points and six boards.

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

Butte Valley has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a massive bump to their 10-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.7 points over those games. As for Hayfork, their loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 7-1 and their overall record down to 13-9.

Hayfork was able to grind out a solid win over Butte Valley when the teams last played back in February of 2024, winning 36-26. Does Hayfork have another victory up their sleeve, or will Butte Valley turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.