The La Junta Tigers will head out to face off against the Lamar Thunder at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. La Junta has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
It was a proper cat-fight when La Junta challenged Pueblo Central on Saturday. La Junta took down Pueblo Central 42-24. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Tigers as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
| 01/11/25 vs Pueblo Central | 18 |
| 12/05/23 vs Custer County | 16 |
| 01/11/24 @ Banning Lewis Academy | 12 |
| 12/19/23 @ Rye | 11 |
| 02/08/24 @ Florence | 11 |
La Junta's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Isabelle Aragon, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 14 boards, and Raquel Rodriguez, who went 6 of 12 on her way to 18 points and eight rebounds. Those 18 points gave Rodriguez a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Kinsley Mayo, who posted two points in addition to five rebounds and three steals.
La Junta smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Lamar earned a 26-14 victory over Buena Vista back in December of 2024. Given the Thunder's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 88th, while the Demons are ranked 201st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lamar's win came from a few key players La Junta will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Brooklyn Robbins, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 12 rebounds. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 8.2 boards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Tatum Milenski, who posted six points along with five boards and three steals.
La Junta's record now sits at 4-5. As for Lamar, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: La Junta has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Lamar struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
La Junta was dealt a bruising 45-18 loss at the hands of Lamar when the teams last played back in January of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point La Junta was down 28-6.
