Preview: Vista PEAK Prep Bison vs. Denver South Ravens
Vista PEAK Prep has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Denver South Ravens at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Even though Vista PEAK Prep has not done well against Rangeview recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Vista PEAK Prep walked away with a 47-40 win over Rangeview. Given Vista PEAK Prep's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 14th, while Rangeview is ranked 132nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Vista PEAK Prep's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Kyree Polk, who scored five points along with nine rebounds and three blocks, and Alante Monroe-Elazier, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Polk has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Julian Carrizales, who scored five points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Denver South scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They walked away with an 82-70 win over Thomas Jefferson. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Denver South.
Dominic Rhoades-Martinez continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 37 points along with five assists and five steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Jonathan Trease, who scored 20 points along with six rebounds.
Vista PEAK Prep's victory was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-2. They've been dominating during the matches in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 24.75 points. As for Denver South, their victory bumped their record up to 7-5.
Tuesday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Vista PEAK Prep have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 35.2 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Denver South, though, as they've been averaging only 28.8 rebounds per game. Given Vista PEAK Prep's sizeable advantage in that area, Denver South will need to find a way to close that gap.
Vista PEAK Prep came up short against Denver South in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, falling 57-48. Thankfully for Vista PEAK Prep, Kai Daniels (who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 12 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
