Basketball Game Preview: Rye Thunderbolts vs. Center Vikings

The Rye Thunderbolts will take on the Center Vikings in a holiday battle at at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. Rye has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Rye is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Monday as they easily beat Pueblo South 57-29. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Thunderbolts had established a 20 point advantage.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Rye to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kelsy Stribling, who posted 16 points along with six assists and six boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Taci Ehrlich, who earned ten points along with eight steals and six boards.

Stribling wasn't the only one working in the assists department: Rye was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Center had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. The stars were shining brightly for them in a 37-22 victory over the Spartans. The 37-point effort marked the Vikings' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Center found their leader in sophomore Emiliana Valdez, who went 5 of 10 on her way to 12 points and eight boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Dulce Palma, who put up six points.

Center's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-1. As for Rye, the victory got them back to even at 2-2.

Everything came up roses for Rye against Center in their previous meeting back in March of 2020, as the squad secured a 63-19 win. Does Rye have another victory up their sleeve, or will Center turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.