Basketball Preview: Standley Lake Gators vs. Aurora Central Trojans
The Standley Lake Gators are packing up and heading out on the road for their first away game this season. they take on the Aurora Central Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are still undefeated after three-games, but that won't be the case come Monday.
Standley Lake picked up another tournament win on Saturday. They blew past Greeley West, posting a 69-36 victory.
Standley Lake's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Aaliyah Valenzuela, who went 5 for 9 en route to 13 points plus four steals and three blocks. Valenzuela is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least three every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Sydney Martin, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Standley Lake smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive rebounds in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Aurora Central was fully in charge on Friday, breezing past Hinkley 57-6.
Jamaea Johnson-Gonzales had a dynamite game for Aurora Central, earning 22 points in addition to seven rebounds and six steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Johnson-Gonzales has scored at least a third of Aurora Central's points. Aditi Arreola was another key player, posting four points along with seven steals.
Aurora Central's win ended a four-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 3-0. As for Standley Lake, their record now sits at an identical 3-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Standley Lake has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 36.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Aurora Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.7. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Standley Lake against Aurora Central when the teams last played back in February, as the squad secured a 66-24 victory. Will Standley Lake repeat their success, or does Aurora Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
