Basketball Game Preview: Florence Gophers vs. Coolidge Bears

The Florence Gophers will venture away from home to face off against the Coolidge Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Florence's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five games.

On Saturday, Florence earned a 77-64 win over ALA - West Foothills. Given the Gophers' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 61st, while the Guardians are ranked 253rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Coolidge was able to grind out a solid victory over Globe on Friday, taking the game 62-50. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bears.

Coolidge's win came from a few key players Florence will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Preston Dees, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 13 rebounds. He is on a roll when it comes to boards, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last seven games he's played. Another player making a difference was Adarius Miguel, who posted eight points in addition to 11 rebounds and five assists.

Florence's record is now 22-2. As for Coolidge, their record is now 21-7.

Florence came up short against Coolidge in their previous meeting back in January, falling 48-44. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Dees, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 13 boards. Now that Florence knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.