Basketball Game Preview: Hayden Tigers vs. Soroco Rams

Hayden and Soroco are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2017, but not for long. The Hayden Tigers will host the Soroco Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hayden has now lost eight straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since December 14.

Hayden is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Vail Mountain on Saturday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Hayden was beaten by Vail Mountain 68-40. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 330th, while the Gore Rangers are ranked 139th).

Despite the defeat, Hayden had strong showings from Cameron Morrison, who almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine boards, and Justin Preston, who posted 13 points. The dominant performance gave Preston a new career-high in points.

Even though they lost, Hayden smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in eight consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Soroco came into Saturday's game having lost 20 straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They came out on top against South Park by a score of 39-27 on Saturday.

Soroco's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-10. As for Hayden, their loss dropped their record down to 1-11.

Hayden strolled past Soroco in their previous matchup back in January of 2024 by a score of 53-38. Will Hayden repeat their success, or does Soroco have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.