Basketball Game Preview: North Canyon Rattlers vs. Willow Canyon Wildcats

North Canyon is 1-6 against Willow Canyon since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The North Canyon Rattlers will look to defend their home court against the Willow Canyon Wildcats at 5:30 p.m. Willow Canyon took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on North Canyon, who comes in off a win.

North Canyon took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They managed a 39-35 win over Desert Edge.

Meanwhile, Willow Canyon came up short against Arizona College Prep on Thursday, falling 57-37. The match marked the Wildcats' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

North Canyon will need focus on slowing down Kayla Preston, one of several Willow Canyon players who made an impact when they last played. She posted six points along with 14 boards and three blocks. Preston is crushing it when it comes to boards: she's pulled down at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Maya Marshall, who posted eight points and 11 rebounds.

Willow Canyon's defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 3-2. As for North Canyon, they now have a winning record of 4-3.

North Canyon came up short against Willow Canyon when the teams last played back in February of 2022, falling 42-34. Thankfully for North Canyon, Makayla Ramirez (who went 5 of 12 on her way to 13 points in addition to five assists and five boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.