Buena Vista and Lamar are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2017, but not for long. The Buena Vista Demons will challenge the Lamar Thunder at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Buena Vista is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.5 points per game this season.
Buena Vista is headed into Friday's matchup hungry for a win as their strong season has now been derailed by two straight defeats. They received a blow on Tuesday as they fell 58-40 to Salida.
Julian Lopez-Olsen
| 02/25/25 @ Salida | 3 |
| 02/21/25 vs Centauri | 1 |
| 02/17/25 vs Banning Lewis Academy | 2 |
| 02/13/25 @ James Irwin | 1 |
| 02/11/25 @ Vail Christian | 2 |
| + 4 more games |
Loss or not, Buena Vista got some senior leadership from Julian Lopez-Olsen and Noah Bearss. Lopez-Olsen posted 12 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals, while Bearss scored eight points and five steals. That's the most steals Lopez-Olsen has posted since back in January. Another player making a difference was Landon Pace, who earned eight points.
Even though they lost, Buena Vista smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. This was only their fourth loss (out of 17 games) when they hit their own glass that hard.
Meanwhile, Lamar was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were four points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 48-44 heartbreaker at the hands of Colorado Springs Christian.
Buena Vista will need to focus on slowing down Gabrian Jacobs, one of several Lamar players who made an impact when they last played. He almost dropped a double-double with 11 points and nine boards. Jacob Dunning was another key player, putting up 14 points.
Lamar's loss dropped their record down to 15-6. As for Buena Vista, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Buena Vista has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Lamar struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Buena Vista came up short against Lamar in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 52-39. Can Buena Vista avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
