Basketball Game Preview: Sierra Vista Mountain Lions vs. Desert Oasis Diamondbacks

Sierra Vista is 0-10 against Desert Oasis since December of 2016 but things could change on Friday. The Sierra Vista Mountain Lions will welcome the Desert Oasis Diamondbacks at 6:30 p.m. Sierra Vista is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.7 points per game this season.

Sierra Vista took a loss when they played away from home last Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They managed a 54-48 win over Cimarron-Memorial.

Donnayja Gibson continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 7 for 12 on her way to 19 points in addition to seven steals and five boards. Another player making a difference was Avery Silvas, who posted seven points along with five rebounds and five steals.

Meanwhile, Desert Oasis came up short against Coronado on Thursday and fell 53-44. The Diamondbacks haven't had much luck with the Cougars recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.

Despite the defeat, Desert Oasis saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Kayleigh Upham went 7 of 17 en route to 16 points and seven boards. Those 16 points gave Upham a new career-high. Kazel Jones was another key player, putting up six points and six rebounds.

Sierra Vista pushed their record up to 11-7 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.3 points per game. As for Desert Oasis, their loss dropped their record down to 9-8.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sierra Vista has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 26.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Desert Oasis struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.7 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Sierra Vista was dealt a bruising 54-19 defeat at the hands of Desert Oasis in their previous matchup back in December of 2022. Will Sierra Vista have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.