Hoehne is on a 16-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Sierra Grande is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Hoehne Farmers will welcome the Sierra Grande Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Hoehne's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last three games.
Hoehne's offense will try to repeat the strong performance it gave on Friday, when they got past Kim/Branson's usually-dominant defense. Hoehne simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Kim/Branson 55-14. The Farmers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 matchups by 21 points or more this season.
Hoehne got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Braylee Foster out in front who went 8 for 18 on her way to 17 points and four steals. Another player making a difference was Kaylah Crosson, who dropped a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards.
Hoehne smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 12 consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Sierra Grande posted their closest win since February 9, 2024 on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past La Veta 40-38.
Hoehne better focus on containing Jaylyn Quezada and Eneria Quintana as the pair were huge in Sierra Grande's win. Quezada dropped a double-double with 18 points and ten rebounds, while Quintana went 7 of 16 to rack up 17 points and five steals. Quezada has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 13 times she's played. Alexandra Garcia was another key player, putting up five boards and five steals.
Sierra Grande is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a massive bump to their 10-6 record this season. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to assists: they averaged an imposing 10.22 assists in those games compared to only 10.22 in the others. As for Hoehne, their win bumped their record up to 14-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Hoehne has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Sierra Grande struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Hoehne against Sierra Grande when the teams last played back in February of 2024, as the squad secured a 61-10 victory. In that matchup, Hoehne amassed a halftime lead of 35-5, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.
