Basketball Game Preview: Taft Raiders vs. Stevens Falcons

The Taft Raiders will challenge the Stevens Falcons at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Taft has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Taft is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their matchup on Saturday with ease, bagging an 85-51 victory over Holmes. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Raiders as it put an end to their 12-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Stevens' strategy against Holmes on Tuesday. Stevens strolled past Holmes with points to spare, taking the game 65-51. Given the Falcons' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 326th, while the Huskies are ranked 960th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Stevens had a senior duo take command as Jose Ochoa dropped a double-double on 19 points and 20 rebounds and Cesar Roman went 7 of 11 on his way to 17 points and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Ochoa has scored all season. Zane Schunior was another key player, putting up ten points.

Stevens was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Holmes only racked up three assists.

The victory got Stevens back to even at 12-12. As for Taft, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-20.

Taft ended up a good deal behind Stevens when the teams last played back in December of 2024, losing 62-43. Will Taft have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.