Basketball Game Preview: Arapahoe Warriors vs. Medicine Valley Raiders

Arapahoe and Medicine Valley are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2021, but not for long. The Arapahoe Warriors are taking a road trip to square off against the Medicine Valley Raiders at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Arapahoe will be strutting in after a victory while Medicine Valley will be coming in after a defeat.

On Tuesday, everything went Arapahoe's way against Maxwell as Arapahoe made off with a 65-43 win. The Warriors have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matchups by 22 points or more this season.

Arapahoe can attribute much of their success to Cadence Carpenter, who posted 12 points in addition to six assists and six boards. Carpenter is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Suttyn Shafer, who put up 16 points in addition to six boards and five steals.

Meanwhile, Medicine Valley was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 40-35 to Wallace. The Raiders have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Arapahoe will have to keep a close watch on Remmi Stout and Haylie Gustafson, a pair of players who had a big impact on Medicine Valley's prior game. Stout had 17 points along with seven rebounds and five steals, while Gustafson posted six points in addition to ten boards and four steals. Those ten boards gave Gustafson a new career-high.

Arapahoe's victory bumped their record up to 7-4. As for Medicine Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 1-8.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Arapahoe has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Medicine Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Arapahoe didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Medicine Valley in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, but they still walked away with a 46-42 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Arapahoe since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.