Basketball Game Preview: Ash Fork Spartans vs. Williams Vikings

Ash Fork is 1-9 against Williams since February of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Ash Fork Spartans will welcome the Williams Vikings at 7:00 p.m.

Ash Fork is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They were beaten by Seligman 87-57 on Monday. While losing is never fun, the Spartans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 327th, while the Antelopes are ranked 156th).

Meanwhile, Williams entered their tilt with Mogollon on Friday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They secured a 53-49 W over the Mustangs.

Williams' win came from a few key players Ash Fork will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Mario Pedraza, who posted 21 points and three steals. Another player making a difference was Brody Trimble, who went 6 of 12 en route to 14 points and five rebounds.

Williams' win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-7. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.3 points per game. As for Ash Fork, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-12.

Ash Fork suffered a grim 63-43 defeat to Williams in their previous matchup back in December of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Ash Fork was down 37-17.