Basketball Game Preview: Pojoaque Valley Elks/Elkettes vs. Portales Rams

The Pojoaque Valley Elks/Elkettes and the Portales Rams will face off at 7:00 p.m. on Friday without much rest having both just played. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

Pojoaque Valley is headed into Friday's matchup hungry for a win as their strong season has now been derailed by two straight losses. They were three points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 56-53 heartbreaker at the hands of Farwell. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Elks/Elkettes came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 17th in New Mexico, while the Steers are ranked 281st in Texas).

Meanwhile, Portales was beaten by Carlsbad 68-39 on Thursday.

Portales has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-8 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.3 points per game. As for Pojoaque Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-2.

Pojoaque Valley came up short against Portales in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 63-51. Can Pojoaque Valley avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.