Manzano hasn't had much luck against Sandia recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Manzano Monarchs will welcome the Sandia Matadors at 7:00 p.m.
Manzano is headed into Thursday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fifth straight game on Tuesday. They took a hard 50-31 fall against Santa Fe.
Meanwhile, Sandia entered their tilt with Capital on Tuesday with eight consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with nine. They took their matchup with ease, bagging a 77-31 win over the Jaguars. The Matadors have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 16 games by 22 points or more this season.
Sandia's win came from a few key players Manzano will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Sydney Benally, who went 8-for-17 en route to 16 points in addition to eight rebounds and five steals. Her evening made it four games in a row in which she has scored at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Hope Giddings, who went 9-for-17 on her way to 19 points and six steals.
Sandia smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in eight consecutive contests.
Sandia's victory was their 19th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 22-1. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.8 points over those games. As for Manzano, their loss dropped their record down to 10-12.
Manzano took a serious blow against Sandia in their previous matchup two weeks ago, falling 85-30. Will Manzano have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
