Basketball Game Preview: La Cueva Bears vs. Sandia Matadors

The La Cueva Bears will square off against the Sandia Matadors at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.

Sandia will be up against a hot La Cueva team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. La Cueva was the clear victor by a 79-55 margin over Eldorado on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Bears have posted against the Golden Eagles since February 17, 2022.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Sandia). They blew past Capital 101-50 on Thursday. The Matadors have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 20 points or more this season.

La Cueva better focus on containing Isaiah Brown and Thomas Adams as the pair were huge in Sandia's win. Brown went 7 of 13 from beyond the arc on his way to 27 points and six steals, while Adams went 9 for 10 en route to 22 points along with six boards and three steals. With that strong performance, Brown is now averaging an impressive 15.5 points per game. Zaire Ndyabagye was another key player, putting up 11 points and eight assists.

Sandia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive matchups.

La Cueva is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten games, which provided a massive bump to their 10-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.7 points per game. As for Sandia, their victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-2.

La Cueva beat Sandia 59-50 in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Does La Cueva have another victory up their sleeve, or will Sandia turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.