Hayden and North Park are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2016, but not for long. A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Hayden Tigers duke it out with the North Park Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for Hayden and five for North Park.
Hayden is headed into the matchup having just suffered their biggest defeat since February 23, 2024 on Saturday. They took a blow against Plateau Valley, falling 61-25.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Taryn Schlim, who posted two points and five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Hayden smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in nine consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, North Park played a tough game on Saturday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by Gilpin County and fell 62-23. The Wildcats were down 48-17 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.
Hayden will have to contain Mykenzi Ramsey as she made an impact in North Park's last game. She dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Abby Altwine, who had five points in addition to nine rebounds and three steals.
North Park's loss dropped their record down to 2-6. As for Hayden, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Hayden has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 39 boards per game. However, it's not like North Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Hayden was able to grind out a solid win over North Park when the teams last played back in February of 2024, winning 59-52. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was North Park's Dezirae Gonzales, who dropped a double-double on 36 points and ten rebounds. Now that she won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Hayden to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
