Basketball Game Preview: Evergreen Cougars vs. Dakota Ridge Eagles

Evergreen and Dakota Ridge are an even 3-3 against one another since December of 2018, but not for long. The Evergreen Cougars will take on the Dakota Ridge Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Last Wednesday, Evergreen was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 49-48 to Standley Lake. The Cougars have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Addie McEvers, who almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine rebounds. Taylor Bailey was another key player, going 5 of 8 en route to 12 points and four steals.

Meanwhile, Dakota Ridge strolled past Pomona with points to spare on Wednesday, taking the game 54-37. That looming 54-37 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Eagles yet this season.

Dakota Ridge found their leader in sophomore Emery Bowman, who almost dropped a double-double on 16 points and nine boards. Bowman is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last six games she's played. Another player making a difference was Kate Barbic, who posted six points and five steals.

Evergreen's loss dropped their record down to 7-12. As for Dakota Ridge, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 8-11.

Evergreen beat Dakota Ridge 35-28 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Evergreen since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.