A feisty cat fight will be fought when the North Park Wildcats duke it out with the Hayden Tigers at 4:00 p.m. on Friday... North Park will be strutting in after a victory while Hayden will be coming in after a loss.
Last Saturday, North Park strolled past Gilpin County with points to spare, taking the game 46-28. That looming 46-28 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Wildcats yet this season.
North Park's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Chris Reyes led the charge by putting up 15 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. Reyes continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Gavin Pittington, who posted 11 points along with six rebounds and six steals.
North Park smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Hayden was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their sixth straight defeat. They were beaten by Plateau Valley 57-30. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 324th, while the Cowboys are ranked 73rd).
North Park will have to keep a close watch on Jace Bene and Jesse Vannoy, a pair of players who had a big impact on Hayden's prior game. Bene almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine boards, while Vannoy put up five points. That was a full 46.7% of Hayden's points, marking the third time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points.
Hayden's loss dropped their record down to 1-9. As for North Park, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: North Park has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25 boards per game. However, it's not like Hayden struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
North Park skirted past Hayden 41-39 in their previous meeting back in December of 2024. Does North Park have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hayden turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
