Basketball Game Preview: Shadow Ridge Mustangs vs. Rancho Rams

After both having extra time off, the Shadow Ridge Mustangs and the Rancho Rams will shake off the cobwebs and face off against one another at 5:40 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Shadow Ridge is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took down Desert Oasis 55-39 last Friday.

Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Rancho over Doral Academy Red Rock in every quarter on their way to victory two weeks ago. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Rancho blew Doral Academy Red Rock out of the water with a 55-28 final score. The Rams have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three games by 27 points or more this season.

Rancho's win came from a few key players Shadow Ridge will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Taylor Dagons, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and 12 boards. She has been hot, having posted 12 or more boards the last five times she's played. Claudia Vargas-Arellano was another key player, going 6 of 14 on her way to 17 points along with five assists and five steals.

Shadow Ridge's victory was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 4-3. As for Rancho, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 6-4 record this season.

Everything came up roses for Shadow Ridge against Rancho when the teams last played back in December of 2021, as the team secured a 60-12 win. Does Shadow Ridge have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rancho turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.