Basketball Game Preview: Durango Demons vs. Pueblo East Eagles

Two dominant guards in Claire Goodwin and Myah Abeyta are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Durango Demons just played last yesterday, but they'll still welcome the Pueblo East Eagles at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Durango comes in on seven and Pueblo East on five.

While Durango didn't have the best season last year (they finished 10-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They came out on top against Canon City by a score of 36-23 on Thursday. Given the Demons' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 47th, while the Tigers are ranked 129th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Pueblo East challenged Falcon on Friday. Pueblo East walked away with a 51-41 victory over Falcon.

Durango better keep an eye on Ilyne Avila. She was instrumental in Pueblo East's win, going 6 of 7 on her way to 13 points along with eight boards and six steals. Avila is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed four or more in the last five games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Emilee Hutchings, who posted ten points and three steals.

Pueblo East pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 39.6 points. As for Durango, their victory bumped their record up to 8-2.