Hayden is 0-10 against Vail Christian since January of 2016 but things could change on Friday. The Hayden Tigers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Vail Christian Saints at 7:00 p.m. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Hayden is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Soroco 71-30. The win was some much needed relief for the Tigers as it spelled an end to their eight-game losing streak.
| 01/24/25 vs Soroco | 3 |
| 02/16/24 @ Caprock Academy | 2 |
| 01/06/24 @ West Grand | 2 |
| 01/18/25 @ Vail Mountain | 1 |
| 01/11/25 vs Plateau Valley | 1 |
Hayden relied on the efforts of Cameron Morrison, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 17 rebounds, and Jace Bene, who went 10 for 16 en route to 25 points and four steals. The dominant performance also gave Morrison a new career-high in steals (three). Another player making a difference was Justin Preston, who posted seven points along with eight assists and five steals.
Hayden smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in nine consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Vail Christian's strategy against Soroco on Saturday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Vail Christian blew Soroco out of the water with a 69-40 final score. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Saints had established a 21 point advantage.
Vail Christian found their leader in sophomore Rayman Romanin, who went 7 of 8 on his way to 18 points in addition to seven assists and four steals. Those four steals set a new season-high mark for Romanin. The team also got some help courtesy of Oliver Neumann, who went 6 for 10 en route to 13 points.
Vail Christian is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 5-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.3 points per game. As for Hayden, their victory was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 2-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Hayden has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Vail Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Hayden ended up a good deal behind Vail Christian in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, losing 53-38. Will Hayden have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
