Basketball Game Preview: Discovery Canyon Thunder vs. Rampart Rams

The Discovery Canyon Thunder will face off against the Rampart Rams at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

While Discovery Canyon didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They managed a 46-40 victory over Canon City on Saturday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Thunder.

Taylor McCann was the offensive standout of the game as she posted 14 points in addition to six rebounds and four steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last ten games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Natalie Neuhaus, who had 11 points in addition to seven assists and five boards.

Discovery Canyon was working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Canon City only racked up six assists.

Meanwhile, Rampart was able to grind out a solid win over Palmer on Thursday, taking the game 34-21. That 13 point margin sets a new team best for the Rams this season.

Discovery Canyon better focus on containing Arabelle Madril and Marili Derickson as the pair were huge in Rampart's win. Madril posted 15 points along with six steals and five boards, while Derickson almost dropped a double-double on nine points and nine boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Zoe Waldrep, who had four points.

Rampart's victory bumped their record up to 3-5. As for Discovery Canyon, their win bumped their record up to 6-3.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Discovery Canyon has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Rampart struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Discovery Canyon suffered a grim 61-36 defeat to Rampart when the teams last played back in February of 2022. Thankfully for Discovery Canyon, Emily Huxtable (who almost dropped a double-double on 22 points and nine steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.