Basketball Game Preview: Hi-Plains Patriots vs. Rocky Mountain Lutheran Eagles

The Hi-Plains Patriots will head out on the road to take on the Rocky Mountain Lutheran Eagles at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Hi-Plains is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Miami-Yoder on Saturday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Hi-Plains was outmatched by Miami-Yoder and fell 65-27. The Patriots were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 37-8.

Meanwhile, Rocky Mountain Lutheran came up short against Elbert on Thursday, falling 64-38. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 314th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 126th).

Hi-Plains will need to focus on slowing down Blake Harris, one of several Rocky Mountain Lutheran players who made an impact when they last played. He went 6-for-13 on his way to 18 points and five boards. Harris has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last nine times he's played. Zack Rice was another key player, going 5-for-6 en route to 10 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals.

Even though they lost, Rocky Mountain Lutheran smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 12 consecutive games.

Hi-Plains' defeat dropped their record down to 1-17. As for Rocky Mountain Lutheran, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-14 record this season.

Everything came up roses for Hi-Plains against Rocky Mountain Lutheran in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, as the team secured a 59-19 win. In that matchup, Hi-Plains amassed a halftime lead of 43-9, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Saturday.