Basketball Game Preview: Hawkins Hawks vs. Big Sandy Wildcats

Hawkins has gone 9-1 against Big Sandy recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Hawkins Hawks will challenge the Big Sandy Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. Hawkins is coming into the contest hot, having won their last 13 games.

Last Tuesday, Hawkins blew past Harleton, posting an 86-21 victory. The Hawks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 13 games by 24 points or more this season.

Brayden Givens

Steals

01/28/25 vs Harleton	8
01/21/25 @ Union Grove	4
01/17/25 vs McLeod	3
01/14/25 @ Ore City	8
01/07/25 vs Big Sandy	4

Hawkins got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Brayden Givens out in front who went 7 of 12 en route to 18 points in addition to eight rebounds and eight steals. Givens has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last nine times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Eli Snider, who made all 8 shots he took for 17 points along with eight boards and four steals.

Hawkins smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in four consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Big Sandy duked it out withUnion Grove on Tuesday. Big Sandy fell just short of Union Grove by a score of 73-70. The Wildcats' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.

Hawkins' victory was their 12th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 25-2. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 32 points. As for Big Sandy, their loss dropped their record down to 10-15.

Hawkins took their win against Big Sandy when the teams last played on January 7th by a conclusive 75-51. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hawkins since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.