Basketball Game Preview: Hawkins Hawks vs. McLeod Longhorns

Hawkins has won ten straight games at home, while McLeod has won ten straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Hawkins Hawks will host the McLeod Longhorns at 7:30 p.m. Hawkins is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.3 points per game this season.

Last Tuesday, everything came up roses for Hawkins against Ore City as the squad secured a 42-8 win. Given the Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 398th, while the Rebels are ranked 1175th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Brayden Givens

Steals

01/14/25 @ Ore City	8
12/03/24 vs Saltillo	8
12/08/23 vs Cushing	7
12/27/24 vs Carthage	7
12/26/24 vs West Rusk	7

It was another big night for Brayden Givens, who went 5 for 9 en route to 12 points in addition to eight steals and five assists. That's the most steals he has posted since back in December of 2024. Derek Hollman was another key player, going 5 of 8 on his way to 10 points along with five boards and four blocks.

Meanwhile, McLeod strolled past Union Grove with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 67-51.

McLeod's victory ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 12-17. As for Hawkins, their win bumped their record up to 22-2.

Hawkins didn't have too much breathing room in their game against McLeod when the teams last played back in January of 2024, but they still walked away with a 42-36 victory. Does Hawkins have another victory up their sleeve, or will McLeod turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.