Basketball Game Preview: Sierra Vista Mountain Lions vs. Rancho Rams

The Sierra Vista Mountain Lions and the Rancho Rams will face off at 6:30 p.m. on Friday without much rest, having both just played. One thing working in Sierra Vista's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last 18 matches.

Sierra Vista is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 97-71 margin over Legacy. The Mountain Lions' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Meanwhile, Rancho entered their tilt with Clark on Thursday with 13 consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with 14. They had just enough and edged the Chargers out 59-56.

Sierra Vista has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 14 of their last 16 games, which provided a nice bump to their 23-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 77.3 points over those games. As for Rancho, they pushed their record up to 22-5 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home.

Sierra Vista came out on top in a nail-biter against Rancho in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, sneaking past 71-68. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Rancho's R'Zha Whittle, who dropped a double-double with 30 points and 16 rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Sierra Vista to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.