Union Mine and Argonaut are an even 4-4 against one another since December of 2015, but not for long. The Union Mine Diamondbacks will be playing in front of their home fans against the Argonaut Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Union Mine is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Liberty Ranch on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Union Mine came up short against Liberty Ranch, falling 65-41. The Diamondbacks haven't had much luck with the Hawks recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.
| 01/07/25 @ Liberty Ranch | 16 |
| 12/28/23 vs Bret Harte | 15 |
| 12/13/24 vs John Adams Academy - El Dorado Hills | 14 |
| 01/26/24 @ Rosemont | 13 |
| 01/09/24 vs Rosemont | 11 |
Despite their loss, Union Mine saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Adriana Cavallaro, who posted 16 points, was perhaps the best of all. Those 16 points gave Cavallaro a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kyra Wooden, who had seven points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Argonaut was able to grind out a solid win over El Dorado on Tuesday, taking the game 51-41. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mustangs.
Argonaut found their leader in sophomore Alayna Critchfield, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 14 rebounds. Critchfield is crushing it when it comes to boards: she's pulled down at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaylee Avila, who posted 12 points.
Argonaut 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 eight offensive rebounds in 15 consecutive games.
Argonaut now has a winning record of 8-7. As for Union Mine, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Union Mine has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 34.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Argonaut struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Union Mine won a contest that couldn't have been any closer in their previous matchup back in November of 2023, slipping by Argonaut 45-44. Will Union Mine repeat their success, or does Argonaut have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
