Basketball Game Preview: Duncan Wildkats vs. Hayden Lobos

The Duncan Wildkats will head out on the road to challenge the Hayden Lobos at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Last Tuesday, Duncan came up short against Fort Thomas and fell 61-48. The loss continues a trend for the Wildkats in their matchups with the Apaches: they've now lost four in a row.

Meanwhile, Hayden strolled past Valley Lutheran with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 52-34. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Lobos.

Duncan better focus on containing Mario Hong and Tyler Garner as the pair were huge in Hayden's win. Hong dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 boards, while Garner went 6 for 8 en route to 18 points in addition to six rebounds and three blocks. The dominant performance also gave Hong a new career-high in blocks (five). Another player making a difference was Paul Gaither, who posted two points and seven boards.

Hayden smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in five consecutive matches.

Hayden's record is now 7-9. As for Duncan, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-11.

Things could have been worse for Duncan, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 56-38 loss to Hayden in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. Thankfully for Duncan, Keiston Pool (who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 13 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.