Basketball Game Preview: Rifle Bears vs. Delta Panthers

The Rifle Bears will take on the Delta Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Rifle is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.8 points per game this season.

It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 68-39, which was the final score in Rifle's tilt against Aspen on Saturday. The Bears have struggled against the Skiers recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.

Eliezer Vega

Field Goal Percentage (Career)

02/01/25 vs Aspen	75%
01/28/25 @ Grand Valley	73%
12/10/24 vs Cedaredge	63%
12/17/24 @ Battle Mountain	56%
12/03/24 @ Roaring Fork	56%

The losing side was boosted by Eliezer Vega, who went 6 for 8 en route to 15 points. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in shooting accuracy (75%). Another player making a difference was Alex Gonzalez, who posted six points along with seven assists and five boards.

Meanwhile, Delta suffered their biggest loss since December 14, 2023 on Friday. They were outmatched by Coal Ridge and fell 65-25. The Panthers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 38-11.

Rifle's defeat dropped their record down to 3-15. As for Delta, their loss dropped their record down to 7-10.

Rifle lost to Delta on the road by a decisive 70-53 margin in their previous meeting back in January. Can Rifle avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.