Basketball Game Preview: Thatcher Eagles vs. Empire Ravens

It'll be a Battle of the Birds when the Thatcher Eagles duke it out with the Empire Ravens at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday... Thatcher has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Thatcher is headed into the game having just posted their closest victory since February 8, 2024 on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Tanque Verde, sneaking past 76-74.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Empire). They took their contest on Friday with ease, bagging an 89-19 win over Andrada Polytechnic. The team's explosion on offense also rewarded the Ravens with their most commanding win of the season.

Thatcher is also on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a massive bump to their 15-10 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.4 points per game. As for Empire, their victory bumped their record up to 12-14.

Thatcher strolled past Empire in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 by a score of 59-44. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Empire's Khari Gurley, who posted 24 points and five boards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Thatcher still be able to contain Gurley? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.