Hayden is on a three-game streak of home wins, while West Grand is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Hayden Tigers will host the West Grand Mustangs at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
It was a proper cat-fight when Hayden faced off against North Park on Friday. Hayden blew past North Park 56-32. The victory continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now won five in a row.
Sydney Wattles
| 01/17/25 vs North Park | 7 |
| 02/07/25 @ North Park | 5 |
| 01/31/25 vs Vail Christian | 5 |
| 12/14/24 vs Ouray | 4 |
| 01/24/25 vs Soroco | 3 |
| + 6 more games |
Hayden's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Sydney Wattles, who posted seven points in addition to seven boards and five steals. Wattles has become a key player for Hayden: the team is 5-1 when she posts at least three steals, but 3-4 otherwise. Taryn Schlim was another key player, dropping a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Hayden smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 27 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive boards in 14 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, West Grand was fully in charge on Saturday, breezing past Vail Mountain 58-28. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 114th, while the Gore Rangers are ranked 298th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hayden better keep an eye on Taylin Harthun. She was instrumental in West Grand's win, dropping a double-double with 17 points and 15 boards. The dominant performance also gave Harthun a new career-high in shooting accuracy (62%). Another player making a difference was Taylor Martinson, who went 5 of 9 to rack up 12 points along with six rebounds and four steals.
West Grand has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 23.4 points over those games. As for Hayden, their win bumped their record up to 8-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Hayden has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 40.2 boards per game. However, it's not like West Grand struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Hayden came up short against West Grand in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 52-43. Will Hayden have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
