Basketball Game Preview: Volcano Vista Hawks vs. Cibola Cougars

Volcano Vista is a perfect 10-0 against Cibola since February of 2020 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Volcano Vista Hawks will take on the Cibola Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Cibola took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Volcano Vista, who comes in off a win.

Volcano Vista is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Cleveland, who was ranked 18th at the time (Volcano Vista was ranked 12th). Volcano Vista had just enough and edged Cleveland out 42-39. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Hawks have posted since January 24th.

Adriana Zavala

Points (Career)

02/18/25 @ Cleveland	13
12/19/24 vs Bushland	12
01/29/25 @ Farmington	11
01/07/25 vs Eldorado	9
12/13/24 vs Window Rock	9

Jalysa Hines and Adriana Zavala were among the main playmakers for Volcano Vista as the former posted 16 points and six steals and the latter put up 13 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. The dominant performance gave Zavala a new career-high in points.

Meanwhile, Cibola was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were beaten by Farmington 67-28.

Volcano Vista pushed their record up to 15-9 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.7 points over those games. As for Cibola, their loss dropped their record down to 9-16.

Everything came up roses for Volcano Vista against Cibola in their previous matchup two weeks ago, as the team secured a 59-32 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Volcano Vista since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.