Preview: Peetz Bulldogs vs. Weldon Valley Warriors
Peetz has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Weldon Valley Warriors at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Peetz stacked a seventh blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Kiowa 69-31 at home. Given Peetz's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 136th, while Kiowa is ranked 330th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Peetz's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Connor Schumacher, who scored 21 points along with two steals. It was the first time this season that Schumacher scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Naegele, who scored 15 points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, Weldon Valley scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 62-59 win over Twin Peaks Charter Academy. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Weldon Valley got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Zander Braun out in front who scored 20 points along with three steals. Braun is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed three or more in the last eight games he's played. Another player making a difference was August Filter, who scored 21 points along with three steals.
Peetz has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-4 record this season. As for Weldon Valley, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-12.
Keep an eye on the arc in Friday's match: Peetz have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 8.1 threes per game. It's a different story for Weldon Valley, though, as they've been averaging only 2.6 threes per game. Given Peetz's sizable advantage in that area, Weldon Valley will need to find a way to close that gap.
Peetz strolled past Weldon Valley in their previous matchup back in February of 2023 by a score of 50-33. The rematch might be a little tougher for Peetz since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
