Basketball Game Preview: Haxtun Fightin' Bulldogs vs. Merino Rams

Haxtun hasn't had much luck against Merino recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Haxtun Fightin' Bulldogs will be playing at home against the Merino Rams at 4:00 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Saturday, Haxtun was able to grind out a solid win over Holyoke, taking the game 47-34. The Fightin' Bulldogs pushed the score to 41-20 by the end of the third, a deficit the Dragons cut but never quite recovered from.

Haxtun had a senior duo take command as Bobbi Starkebaum went 8 of 16 en route to 17 points and six boards and Emily Anderson posted eight points in addition to six assists and six steals. Those six steals set a new season-high mark for Anderson. The team also got some help courtesy of Kelsie Hadeen, who put up seven points along with five rebounds and four steals.

Haxtun 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 32 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Merino put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They really took it to Brush for the full four quarters, racking up a 68-27 victory. With the Rams ahead 48-15 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

Merino pushed their record up to 9-0 with the win, which was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.2 points per game. As for Haxtun, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a massive bump to their 6-6 record this season.

Haxtun was dealt a bruising 73-33 loss at the hands of Merino in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Merino's Kya Piel, who went 9 for 13 on her way to 20 points in addition to six assists and four steals. Now that Haxtun knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.