Basketball Game Preview: Erie Tigers vs. Arvada West Wildcats

A feisty cat fight will be fought as the Tigers duke it out with the Wildcats at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Erie is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 65 points on Thursday, they were much more limited against Horizon on Friday. They took a 33-25 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Hawks. The Tigers haven't had much luck with the Hawks recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.

Erie's defeat came about despite a quality game from Juliet Slater, who posted ten points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Arvada West waltzed into their contest on Saturday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They came within five points of losing the streak, but they secured a 50-45 W against the Mustangs.

Erie better keep an eye on Sara Walker. She was instrumental in Arvada West's win, to rack up 16 points in addition to eight boards and four steals. That's the most points Walker has posted since back in December of 2024. Macie Ferguson was another key player, putting up nine points.

Arvada West's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.8 points over those games. As for Erie, their loss dropped their record down to 15-8.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Erie has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Arvada West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Erie came up short against Arvada West when the teams last played back in December of 2024, falling 35-25. Can Erie avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.