Preview: Socorro Bulldogs vs. Eastwood Troopers
Socorro is 1-9 against Eastwood since January of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Socorro Bulldogs will be playing at home against the Eastwood Troopers at 7:30 p.m. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Socorro has struggled recently with five losses in a row, while Eastwood will arrive with five straight victories.
Last Tuesday, Socorro came up short against Pebble Hills and fell 53-45. While losing is never fun, Socorro can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 816th, while Pebble Hills is ranked 326th).
The losing side was boosted by Danny Delgado, who scored 16 points along with five steals. Another player making a difference was Esteban Erives, who scored seven points.
Socorro struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only two offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Eastwood proved they can win big on Friday (they won by 27) but on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 37-34 win over Americas. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory Eastwood has posted yet this season.
Marcus Bennett continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 19 points along with seven rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Devin Falk-Ramirez was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with two steals.
Socorro has not been sharp recently, as they've lost eight of their last nine contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-12 record this season. As for Eastwood, their win was their 16th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-9.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Socorro have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 38.3% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Eastwood struggles in that department as they've made 47.6% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Socorro was dealt a bruising 70-28 defeat at the hands of Eastwood in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. Will Socorro have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other basketball content.
