Preview: Akron Rams vs. Haxtun Fightin' Bulldogs
Having just played yesterday, the Akron Rams will head out on the road to face off against the Haxtun Fightin' Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. on February 9th. Akron will be strutting in after a win while Haxtun will be coming in after a loss.
On Thursday, Akron earned a 49-41 victory over Hi-Plains.
Kinsey Grauer continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 21 points. Kashlee Randel was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Meanwhile, Haxtun's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their fourth straight defeat. They took a 49-35 bruising from Wray. While losing is never fun, Haxtun can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 242nd, while Wray is ranked 108th).
Despite their defeat, Haxtun saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Cassidy Goddard, who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Emily Anderson, who scored eight points along with four steals.
Akron now has a winning record of 9-8. As for Haxtun, they dropped their record down to 2-15 with that defeat, which was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season.
Friday's game is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Akron have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Haxtun struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went Akron's way against Haxtun in their previous matchup back in February of 2023 as Akron made off with a 46-26 victory. Will Akron repeat their success, or does Haxtun have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
