Basketball Game Preview: Kimball Longhorns vs. Bayard Tigers

The Kimball Longhorns will take on the Bayard Tigers in a tournament on Thursday. Bayard took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Kimball, who comes in off a win.

Kimball is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They managed a 54-49 victory over St. Patrick's on Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Longhorns.

Kimball found their leader in freshman Jaleigh Bohac, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Clarika Hottell, who posted eight points and five boards.

Kimball was working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 3 assists per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 6.5.

Meanwhile, Bayard played a tough contest on Saturday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They lost 50-27 to Bridgeport. The Tigers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 40-6.

Shayleigh West was Bayard's leading scorer, having posted eight points. Emilee Houchin held things down on the boards with nine rebounds.

Bayard has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-8 record this season. As for Kimball, their win bumped their record up to 4-14.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Kimball has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 32 boards per game. However, it's not like Bayard struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Kimball came up short against Bayard in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 34-30. Can Kimball avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.