Basketball Game Preview: Cortez Colts vs. Washington Rams

Cortez and Washington are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2018, but not for long. The Cortez Colts will head out to square off against the Washington Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Cortez has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Last Friday, Cortez made easy work of Desert Sunrise and carried off a 67-41 win. The Colts have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 26 points or more this season.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Cortez to victory, but perhaps none more so than Nygel Lindsey, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 17 boards. Those 17 rebounds gave Lindsey a new career-high. Cassius Henderson was another key player, going 6 of 10 on his way to 15 points.

Cortez smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 27 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Washington, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They took down Copper Canyon 56-39 on Tuesday.

Cortez pushed their record up to 14-3 with the victory, which was their eighth straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.9 points per game. As for Washington, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a massive bump to their 9-7 record this season.

Everything came up roses for Cortez against Washington in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, as the squad secured an 80-42 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cortez since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.