Basketball Game Preview: Vail Christian Saints vs. West Grand Mustangs

The Vail Christian Saints will venture away from home to take on the West Grand Mustangs at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

Last Friday, Vail Christian came up short against Vail Mountain and fell 32-23. The Saints have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, West Grand had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 40 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They claimed a resounding 54-15 win over the Eagles. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 23 points or more this season.

West Grand's win came from a few key players Vail Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Sara Lechman, who went 9 for 13 on her way to 18 points in addition to five boards and five steals. She has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last eight times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Taylin Harthun, who went 6 of 10 on her way to 14 points along with six rebounds and three steals.

West Grand smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 12 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

West Grand's victory ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 10-1. As for Vail Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-4.

Vail Christian was taken down by West Grand 61-7 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Lechman, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 13 boards. Now that Vail Christian knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.