Basketball Game Preview: Grand Junction Tigers vs. Fruita Monument Wildcats

Grand Junction is 0-10 against Fruita Monument since February of 2020 but things could change on Friday. A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Grand Junction Tigers face off against the Fruita Monument Wildcats at 5:30 p.m.

Last Saturday, Grand Junction was beaten by Durango 57-26. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 146th, while the Demons are ranked 32nd).

Meanwhile, Fruita Monument came tearing into Friday's game with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 32.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Demons 44-42. 44 seems to be a good number for the Wildcats as the team scooped up a win with the same number of points in their previous game.

Grand Junction better keep an eye on Olivia Campbell. She was instrumental in Fruita Monument's win, putting up 13 points along with six assists and five steals. Campbell is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last five games she's played. Hailee Wagner was another key player, earning 11 points.

Fruita Monument is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. As for Grand Junction, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 8-10.

Grand Junction took a serious blow against Fruita Monument when the teams last played back in January, falling 68-13. That match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Grand Junction was down 36-6.