Basketball Game Preview: Cibola Raiders vs. Mountain Ridge Mountain Lions

The Cibola Raiders and the Mountain Ridge Mountain Lions will face off at 7:00 p.m. on Friday without much rest having both just played. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Cibola is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Paradise Honors on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Cibola came up short against Paradise Honors, falling 75-55.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Mountain Ridge, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They blew past Corona del Sol 79-53 on Thursday. The Mountain Lions pushed the score to 74-42 by the end of the third, a deficit the Aztecs cut but never quite recovered from.

Cibola better keep an eye on Jaiden Thompson. He was instrumental in Mountain Ridge's win, going 7 for 11 on his way to 24 points in addition to five assists and three steals. Thompson is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last five games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Dylan Donovan, who went 5 for 7 on his way to 14 points.

Mountain Ridge's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-6. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 82.0 points per game. As for Cibola, they now have a losing record at 4-5.

Cibola barely slipped by Mountain Ridge in their previous meeting back in December of 2022, winning 65-64. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Mountain Ridge's Andy Saeva, who posted 23 points and six steals. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Cibola to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.