Basketball Game Preview: Mesa Verde Mavericks vs. Woodland Christian Cardinals

The Mesa Verde Mavericks will take on the Woodland Christian Cardinals at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.

Mesa Verde will head into Tuesday's matchup hoping to keep the good times rolling: they had to skate by with only a two-point margin when they last took the court, which might have inspired the 43-point drubbing they dealt Lindhurst on Tuesday. Mesa Verde simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Lindhurst 63-20. That 43 point margin sets a new team best for the Mavericks this season.

Meanwhile, Woodland Christian entered their tilt with Rio Vista on Tuesday with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. They claimed a resounding 85-44 victory over the Rams. With the Cardinals ahead 47-20 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

Mesa Verde better keep an eye on Tanner Thomas. He was instrumental in Woodland Christian's win, shooting 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and dropping a double-double on 31 points and 12 boards. That's the most points Thomas has posted since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Romello Bruhn, who went 7 for 16 en route to 22 points along with seven rebounds and six assists.

Woodland Christian was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Woodland Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 74.7 points per game. As for Mesa Verde, their win bumped their record up to 5-14.