Basketball Game Preview: Farmington Scorpions vs. Rio Rancho Rams

Farmington has won three straight games at home, while Rio Rancho has won three straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Farmington Scorpions will host the Rio Rancho Rams at 6:00 p.m. Farmington is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 52.9 points per game this season.

Farmington is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Volcano Vista, who was ranked 12th at the time (Farmington was ranked fifth). Farmington walked away with a 48-39 win over Volcano Vista on Monday. The victory continues a trend for the Scorpions in their matchups with the Hawks: they've now won four in a row.

Kjani Anitielu

Steals

02/24/25 vs Volcano Vista	3
02/20/25 @ Piedra Vista	3
02/18/25 vs Cibola	7
02/13/25 @ Volcano Vista	8
02/11/25 vs Cleveland	6
+ 4 more games

Farmington's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kjani Anitielu, who posted nine points along with five rebounds and three steals. Anitielu is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in each of the last nine games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Caris Dale, who earned ten points and eight boards.

Farmington was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. They are 19-3 when they've passed the ball that well.

Meanwhile, Rio Rancho hadn't done well against Volcano Vista recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. Rio Rancho strolled past Volcano Vista with points to spare, taking the game 61-45.

Rio Rancho has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 20-9 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.5 points over those games. Farmington's victory bumped their record up to 21-6.

Farmington came out on top in a nail-biter against Rio Rancho in their previous meeting on February 7th, sneaking past 45-42. Does Farmington have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rio Rancho turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.