Basketball Game Preview: Grand Junction Tigers vs. Fruita Monument Wildcats

A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Grand Junction Tigers take on the Fruita Monument Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday... Grand Junction will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.

Grand Junction is headed into the matchup having just posted their biggest victory since January 11, 2024 on Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 61-17 win over Moffat County. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 32-12.

Meanwhile, Fruita Monument faced Chaparral in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. Fruita Monument took a 66-52 bruising from Chaparral. The Wildcats' loss signaled the end of their five-game winning streak.

Grand Junction will have to keep a close watch on Jhett Wells and Daniel Thomason, a pair of players who had a big impact on Fruita Monument's prior game. Wells went 9 for 20 on his way to 25 points and six rebounds, while Thomason went 7 of 15 on his way to 20 points and six rebounds. The game was Wells' eighth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Josh Huskey, who posted two points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, Fruita Monument smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Chaparral only pulled down eight offensive rebounds.

Grand Junction pushed their record up to 7-4 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.0 points per game. As for Fruita Monument, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-4.

Grand Junction came up short against Fruita Monument in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 43-30. Can Grand Junction avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.