Basketball Game Preview: Draper APA Eagles vs. Gunnison Valley Bulldogs

The Draper APA Eagles will face off against the Gunnison Valley Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Draper APA knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past six matchups -- so hopefully Gunnison Valley likes a good challenge.

Draper APA is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They breezed past Maeser Prep Academy to the tune of 98-27 on Thursday. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 games by 21 points or more this season.

Samantha Kartchner

Points

02/06/25 vs Maeser Prep Academy	30
12/28/24 vs Wendover	29
12/30/24 @ Summit Academy	27
11/21/24 @ Carbon	27
01/21/25 vs Rowland Hall	24

Draper APA had a senior duo take command as Aaliyah Baldwin shot 8-for-12 from beyond the arc and dropped a double-double with 28 points and 18 assists and Samantha Kartchner almost dropped a double-double with 30 points and nine boards. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Kartchner has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Vanessa Moctezuma, who made all 5 shots she took racking up 11 points.

Draper APA was working as a unit and finished the game with 32 assists. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now racked up at least 20 assists in six consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Gunnison Valley had no problem doing just that on Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 54-16 win over the Griffins. That 38 point margin sets a new team best for the Bulldogs this season.

Draper APA's victory was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-5. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 47.8 points. As for Gunnison Valley, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 14-10.

Everything came up roses for Draper APA against Gunnison Valley in their previous matchup back in November of 2021, as the team secured a 68-37 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Draper APA since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.