Preview: Rincon/University Rangers vs. Mica Mountain Thunderbolts
The Rincon/University Rangers will head out on the road to face off against the Mica Mountain Thunderbolts at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Rincon/University focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 15 on Monday.
Last Monday, it was a hard-fought game, but Rincon/University had to settle for a 46-43 defeat against Mountain View. Rincon/University has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Leila O'Dowd, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds. The contest was her 11th in a row with at least ten points. Sabrina Wexler was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 23 to 2 on the offensive boards, a fact Mica Mountain proved on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Sabino 57-54. The win made it back-to-back wins for Mica Mountain.
Isabella Webb continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 16 points and 16 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Kayla Mathie, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds.
Rincon/University bumped their record down to 5-6 with that defeat, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Mica Mountain, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Thursday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Rincon/University have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 41.9% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Mica Mountain, though, as they've only drained 35.9% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Rincon/University barely slipped by Mica Mountain in their previous matchup back in December of 2022, winning 49-48. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Mica Mountain's McKenna Mathie, who scored 26 points. Now that she won't be playing on Thursday, will it be that much easier for Rincon/University to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
