Basketball Game Preview: Ridgway Demons vs. Nucla Mustangs

By Team Reports Feb 9, 2025, 12:50am

Basketball Preview: Ridgway Demons vs. Nucla Mustangs

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Ridgway is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Nucla is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Ridgway Demons will welcome the Nucla Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Friday, Ridgway didn't have too much trouble with Crested Butte as they won 43-24.

Maddie Miller

Steals

02/07/25 @ Crested Butte4
02/04/25 @ Caprock Academy9
02/01/25 vs Mancos4
01/31/25 @ Ouray2
01/28/25 @ Dolores5
+ 5 more games

Ridgway's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Maddie Miller, who posted 11 points in addition to five rebounds and four steals. Miller has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last ten times she's played. Sophia Scranton was another key player, dropping a double-double on 13 points and ten steals.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Nucla). They were the clear victor by a 70-49 margin over Dove Creek on Saturday. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 games by 21 points or more this season.

Nucla's win came from a few key players Ridgway will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kendra McCluer, who scored 17 points along with five boards and five steals. She continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Cadence Shaw, who had eight points and four steals.

Nucla smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 33 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Ridgway is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a massive bump to their 9-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.8 points over those games. As for Nucla, their win bumped their record up to 15-3.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Ridgway has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 26.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Nucla struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Ridgway came up short against Nucla in their previous meeting back in January, falling 38-29. Will Ridgway have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.

Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps