Hatch Valley and Hot Springs are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2021, but not for long. The Hatch Valley Bears will be playing at home against the Hot Springs Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hatch Valley has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last six games.
Last Tuesday, it was a hard-fought matchup, but Hatch Valley had to settle for a 51-49 loss against Socorro. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Hatch Valley in their matchups with Socorro: they've now lost six in a row.
Despite their loss, Hatch Valley saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Caydence Roberts, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Roberts has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Miah Martinez, who scored 18 points along with eight rebounds and six steals.
Meanwhile, Hot Springs came up short against Cobre on Tuesday and fell 48-35. Hot Springs has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Hatch Valley dropped their record down to 6-13 with that defeat, which was their fifth straight on the road. As for Hot Springs, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-15.
Hatch Valley ended up a good deal behind Hot Springs when the teams last played back in December of 2023, losing 42-24. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hot Springs' Alex Gonzales, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 13 rebounds. Now that Hatch Valley knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
