Basketball Game Preview: Rincon/University Rangers vs. Catalina Foothills Falcons

The Rincon/University Rangers will head out to face off against the Catalina Foothills Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Rincon/University is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last four games.

Last Tuesday, Rincon/University strolled past Mountain View with points to spare, taking the game 50-36. Given the Rangers' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 81st, while the Mountain Lions are ranked 218th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Rincon/University to victory, but perhaps none more so than Leila O'Dowd, who posted 21 points along with six boards and five assists. O'Dowd's evening made it four games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Daphne Safo, who went 6 of 9 on her way to 14 points in addition to seven rebounds and four blocks.

Meanwhile, Catalina Foothills earned a 57-50 win over Nogales on Wednesday.

Catalina Foothills' victory was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-3. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.2 points per game. As for Rincon/University, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-5 record this season.

Rincon/University was able to grind out a solid win over Catalina Foothills when the teams last played back in December of 2023, winning 40-31. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rincon/University since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.