Basketball Game Preview: Raton Tigers vs. Des Moines Demons

Raton and Des Moines are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2016, but not for long. The Raton Tigers will challenge the Des Moines Demons at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Raton is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.

Raton is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Maxwell on Saturday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. 2025 welcomed Raton with a 55-35 loss courtesy of Maxwell.

Meanwhile, Des Moines opened the new year with a less-than-successful 58-46 loss to Logan. The Demons haven't had much luck with the Longhorns recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.

Raton will need focus on slowing down Rylan Brown, one of several Des Moines players who made an impact when they last played. She posted 14 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jadyn Atwater, who had five points and 19 rebounds.

Even though they lost, Des Moines smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in eight consecutive contests.

Raton's record now sits at 2-8. As for Des Moines, their record now sits at 5-3.

Raton was taken down by Des Moines 57-17 when the teams last played back in January of 2024. That matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point Raton was down 37-9.