Basketball Game Preview: Wickenburg Wranglers vs. Agua Fria Owls

After both having extra time off, the Wickenburg Wranglers and the Agua Fria Owls will shake off the cobwebs and challenge one another at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Last Thursday, Wickenburg was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 45-39 to Kingman Academy.

Meanwhile, Agua Fria had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 23 points) and they went ahead and made it three two weeks ago. They claimed a resounding 59-20 victory over the Knights. The Owls have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 24 points or more this season.

Agua Fria had a senior duo take command as Saleen Rios went 9 for 12 on her way to 22 points and three steals and Genesis Rios went 8 of 11 on her way to 18 points and five steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Saleen has scored at least a third of Agua Fria's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jersey Mitchell, who posted nine points.

Wickenburg's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 5-4. As for Agua Fria, their win bumped their record up to 7-3.

Wickenburg came up short against Agua Fria in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, falling 37-25. Can Wickenburg avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.