The Sierra Grande Panthers will venture away from home to square off against the Primero Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Saturday, Sierra Grande was able to grind out a solid win over Center, taking the game 70-61. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Vikings recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Rolando Najera
| 02/15/25 vs Center | 22 |
| 12/19/24 vs Olathe | 18 |
| 02/07/25 vs Centennial | 16 |
| 12/13/24 @ Ignacio | 16 |
| 01/28/25 vs Kim/Branson | 14 |
Sierra Grande's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Rolando Najera, who went 8-for-14 on his way to 22 points along with seven boards and five assists. The dominant performance gave Najera a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Aron Ojeda, who went 9-for-17 to rack up 22 points in addition to eight assists and six rebounds.
Sierra Grande smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in 11 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Primero waltzed into their match on Thursday with 16 straight wins... but they left with 17. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Rams 83-33. The Bulldogs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten contests by 23 points or more this season.
Primero's win came from a few key players Sierra Grande will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Mat Pachorek, who dropped a double-double with 26 points and 21 boards. His evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. Brett Kendall was another key player, going 9-for-17 en route to 23 points along with seven steals and five assists.
Sierra Grande's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.8 points over those games. As for Primero, their record now sits at 20-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sierra Grande has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Primero struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Sierra Grande was able to grind out a solid victory over Primero in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, winning 61-50. The rematch might be a little tougher for Sierra Grande since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
