Basketball Game Preview: Raton Tigers vs. Estancia Bears

The Raton Tigers will face off against the Estancia Bears at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. One thing working in Raton's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last three matchups.

It was a proper cat-fight when Raton took on Santa Rosa on Thursday. Raton took a hard 75-59 fall against Santa Rosa. The Tigers have struggled against the Lions recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.

Despite their loss, Raton saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Chase Walton, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten boards, was perhaps the best of all. Walton's evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Wyatt Berry, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine steals.

Meanwhile, Estancia was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their ninth straight defeat. They were beaten by Pecos 68-39. The Bears were down 59-29 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.

Loss or not, Estancia got some senior leadership from Olavio Hernandez and Justin Rubio. Hernandez went 5 of 9 on his way to 15 points, while Rubio almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine rebounds. Those 15 points gave Hernandez a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Luis Perea, who posted four points.

Even though they lost, Estancia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in four consecutive contests.

Raton's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 10-9. As for Estancia, their loss dropped their record down to 5-16.

Everything came up roses for Raton against Estancia in their previous matchup two weeks ago, as the team secured a 74-42 victory. Does Raton have another victory up their sleeve, or will Estancia turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.