Preview: Sterling Tigers vs. University Bulldogs
Sterling and University are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2016, but not for long. The Sterling Tigers will head out on the road to face off against the University Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Sterling will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Colorado Rankings (they are ranked 162nd, while University is ranked 27th).
Sterling suffered their biggest defeat since December 5, 2023 on Thursday. They had to suffer through a rough 54-18 loss at the hands of Eaton. Sterling found out winning isn't easy when you make five fewer threes than your opponent.
Despite the defeat, Sterling got a solid performance out of Grace Petersen, who scored six points.
Meanwhile, University had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 43.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They breezed by Resurrection Christian at home to the tune of 58-31. University has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matches by 27 points or more this season.
University's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Addison Harding, who scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and three blocks. Harding has been hot recently, having posted two or more blocks the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Natalie Trujillo, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Sterling's loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 5-5. As for University, their victory bumped their record up to 10-2.
Thursday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Sterling have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 32.9 rebounds per game. It's a different story for University, though, as they've been averaging only 31.4 rebounds per game. Given Sterling's sizeable advantage in that area, University will need to find a way to close that gap.
Sterling suffered a grim 45-22 defeat to University in their previous meeting back in February of 2023. Can Sterling avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
