Basketball Recap: Make It Ten in a Row for Tohatchi

Tohatchi came tearing into Friday's contest with nine straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 20.9 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Zuni Thunderbirds 73-43. The Cougars have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matchups by 21 points or more this season.

Josh Dawes

Points

01/31/25 @ Zuni	27
01/24/25 @ Wingate	26
01/22/25 vs Newcomb	19
01/18/25 vs Thoreau	23
01/17/25 @ Crownpoint	16
+ 7 more games

Tohatchi's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Josh Dawes led the charge by putting up 27 points. The game was Dawes' 12th in a row with at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of DeAndre Rios, who posted 20 points.

When it comes to explaining why Zuni lost, don't look at Ty'Shawn Nieto. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 boards. Nieto has become a key player for Zuni: the team is 6-3 when he posts at least ten rebounds, but 5-6 otherwise. Terrance Smith was another key player, scoring seven points and six boards.

Tohatchi pushed their record up to 18-2 with the victory, which was their eighth straight on the road. As for Zuni, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-9 record this season.

Tohatchi didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, an 81-67 win against Navajo Prep on the 5th. As for Zuni, they will head out to challenge Wingate at 7:00 p.m. on February 7th. Zuni is facing Wingate at the right time seeing as Wingate is stuck on a three-game losing streak.