Basketball Game Preview: Los Alamos Hilltoppers vs. Lovington Wildcats

Los Alamos is 1-7 against Lovington since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Los Alamos Hilltoppers will be taking part in a tournament against the Lovington Wildcats at 6:00 p.m.

Los Alamos is headed into Thursday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their seventh straight game dating back to last season last Friday. They were dealt a 61-23 loss at the hands of St. Michael's. The contest marked the Hilltoppers' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Lovington's strategy against Kermit on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Lovington blew Kermit out of the water with a 66-30 final score. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 24 points or more this season.

Lovington's win came from a few key players Los Alamos will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kayle Covington, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 20 boards. The game was his sixth in a row with at least ten points. Jojo Perez was another key player, putting up nine points and five steals.

Lovington is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 38.7 points. As for Los Alamos, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-6.

Los Alamos came up short against Lovington in their previous matchup back in January, falling 54-49. Can Los Alamos avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.