Basketball Game Preview: Ralston Valley Mustangs vs. Denver South Ravens

The Ralston Valley Mustangs will face off against the Denver South Ravens on Tuesday. Ralston Valley knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 24 matches -- so hopefully Denver South likes a good challenge.

Ralston Valley is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past Cherry Creek 75-43. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 11 games by 20 points or more this season.

Tanner Braketa

Points

02/28/25 vs Cherry Creek	26
02/22/25 @ Arvada West	22
02/18/25 @ Mountain Vista	19
02/13/25 vs Columbine	18

Ralston Valley's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Tanner Braketa, who shot 60% from the field en route to 26 points and six assists, and Caiden Braketa, who went 7-for-11 to rack up 19 points in addition to six rebounds and five assists. The contest was Tanner's fourth in a row with at least 18 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Frank Psaute, who posted seven points along with five boards and three steals.

Meanwhile, Denver South made easy work of Fossil Ridge on Friday and carried off an 83-60 victory.

Denver South's win came from a few key players Ralston Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Matt Rhoades-Martinez, who shot 56% from the field on his way to 15 points in addition to five rebounds and four steals. That's the most boards he has posted since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Dominic Rhoades-Martinez, who went 7-for-15 to rack up 18 points and seven assists.

Denver South is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 73.0 points over those games. Ralston Valley's win was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 22-2.

Everything came up roses for Ralston Valley against Denver South when the teams last played back in December of 2018, as the squad secured a 78-31 victory. Does Ralston Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will Denver South turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.