The Monarch Coyotes will head out to take on the Legacy Lightning at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Monarch is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 62.9 points per game this season.
Monarch is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Longmont just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They lost 78-54 to the Trojans. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Coyotes have suffered since December 13, 2024.
Despite their defeat, Monarch saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Logan Laverty, who posted ten points and three steals, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Justin Myers, who had 11 points along with three steals and three blocks.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Legacy's strategy against Niwot on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Legacy blew Niwot out of the water with a 76-44 final score. Given the Lightning's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 46th, while the Cougars are ranked 239th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Monarch better focus on containing Ari Harpring and Jaedon Ward as the pair were huge in Legacy's win. Harpring went 9 for 11 en route to 19 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals, while Ward went 5 of 8 on his way to 14 points and five steals. Harpring's evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Matthew Allshouse was another key player, putting up eight points and five boards.
Legacy has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.8 points per game. As for Monarch, their loss dropped their record down to 10-8.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Monarch and Legacy are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Monarch hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 62.9 points per game. However, it's not like Legacy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 58.7 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Monarch strolled past Legacy in their previous meeting back in January of 2024 by a score of 63-46. The rematch might be a little tougher for Monarch since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
