Basketball Game Preview: Douglas Tigers vs. Damonte Ranch Mustangs

The Douglas Tigers will square off against the Damonte Ranch Mustangs at 5:15 p.m. on Friday.

Douglas is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Spanish Springs just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Wednesday. They had to suffer through a 64-23 loss at the hands of the Cougars. The matchup marked the Tigers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Hailee Koontz

Rebounds

01/08/25 @ Spanish Springs	10
01/06/25 vs Galena	15
12/28/24 @ Murrieta Mesa	12
12/27/24 vs Wilson	11
12/26/24 vs La Quinta	14
12/20/24 @ Bishop Manogue	10

Douglas' loss came about despite a quality game from Hailee Koontz, who posted six points and ten rebounds. Koontz is on a roll when it comes to boards, as she's now pulled down ten or more in the last six games she's played. Ashlyn Greenfield was another key player, putting up three points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Damonte Ranch). They put the hurt on McQueen with a sharp 77-54 win on Wednesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Mustangs have posted since January 30, 2024.

Damonte Ranch's win came from a few key players Douglas will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kylee Moscove, who went 8 of 16 on her way to 18 points and four steals. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ella Kenney, who went 5 of 7 on her way to 14 points.

Damonte Ranch smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in eight consecutive games.

Douglas' defeat dropped their record down to 6-8. As for Damonte Ranch, their win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-12.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Douglas has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 33.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Damonte Ranch struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Douglas couldn't quite finish off Damonte Ranch in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 and fell 44-41. Can Douglas avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.