Basketball Preview: Fruita Monument Wildcats vs. Grand Junction Central Warriors
Fruita Monument is 8-2 against the Warriors since January of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Fruita Monument Wildcats will be playing at home against the Grand Junction Central Warriors at 7:00 p.m. Fruita Monument is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt want to keep things rolling.
Last Tuesday, Fruita Monument was able to grind out a solid win over the Tigers, taking the game 43-30. Despite the victory, that was the fewest points Fruita Monument has scored all season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Fruita Monument to victory, but perhaps none more so than Daniel Thomason, who scored 12 points along with four steals. Thomason hasn't dropped below three steals for three straight games. Max Orchard was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Grand Junction Central was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 48-43 to the Red Hawks. Grand Junction Central has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Camren Redding, who scored 18 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaine Thorton, who scored six points along with nine rebounds.
Fruita Monument pushed their record up to 19-0 with that win, which was their 14th straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Grand Junction Central, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-9 record this season.
Friday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Fruita Monument have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 50.7% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Grand Junction Central struggles in that department as they've made 38.8% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Fruita Monument didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against the Warriors in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, but they still walked away with a 53-47 win. Will Fruita Monument repeat their success, or do the Warriors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
