The Piedra Vista Panthers and the Las Cruces Bulldawgs will face off at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday without much rest having both just played. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
It was a proper cat-fight when Piedra Vista faced off against Alamogordo on Friday. Piedra Vista ended the year with a bang, routing Alamogordo 62-41. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' New Mexico basketball rankings (they are ranked 34th, while the Tigers are ranked 97th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Piedra Vista's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Tyra Holyan, who went 9 of 15 en route to 24 points and eight rebounds, and Jaime Pierce, who posted 16 points along with four blocks and three steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Holyan has scored at least a third of Piedra Vista's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kira Westbrook, who put up seven points.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Las Cruces against El Dorado on Friday as the team secured a 63-23 victory. The Bulldawgs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 26 points or more this season.
Piedra Vista better keep an eye on Bethzy Quinones. She was instrumental in Las Cruces' win, going 8 of 14 on her way to 17 points in addition to five assists and five steals. Quinones is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Danae Pacheco, who went 6 of 10 on her way to 15 points.
Las Cruces smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive contests.
Las Cruces has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.5 points per game. As for Piedra Vista, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Piedra Vista has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 27 boards per game. However, it's not like Las Cruces struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Piedra Vista against Las Cruces in their previous matchup back in December of 2018, as the squad secured a 72-25 win. Does Piedra Vista have another victory up their sleeve, or will Las Cruces turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.