The Raton Tigers will face off against the Estancia Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Raton is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 55.3 points per game this season.
Last Thursday, Raton beat Trinidad 58-47. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 102nd in New Mexico, while the Miners are ranked 291st in Colorado), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Raton got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Chase Walton out in front who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 11 boards. Walton also posted five blocks, which is notable because Raton is undefeated when he posts at least three blocks, but 3-7 otherwise. Tyler Petrini was another key player, going 6 of 15 en route to 15 points and seven rebounds.
Raton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Estancia was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They took a blow against Logan, falling 81-42.
Raton will have to contain Olavio Hernandez as he made an impact in Estancia's last game. He posted ten points.
Estancia's defeat dropped their record down to 5-11. As for Raton, the win got them back to even at 7-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Raton has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 35.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Estancia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Raton was taken down by Estancia 80-47 in their previous matchup back in January of 2018. Can Raton avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
