Basketball Game Preview: James Irwin Jaguars vs. Village Mountaineers

The James Irwin Jaguars will take on the Village Mountaineers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. James Irwin has now lost nine straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since the first.

James Irwin is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against St. Mary's on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. James Irwin had to suffer through a 77-40 loss at the hands of St. Mary's. The Jaguars were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 51-17.

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Jonathan Kimble, who posted seven points and four blocks. What's more, he also posted a 75% field goal percentage, which is the highest he's achieved since back in January of 2024.

Meanwhile, Village took their game on Saturday with ease, bagging a 60-32 victory over Arvada. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 41-16.

Village's win came from a few key players James Irwin will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was James Driggers, who on his way to 26 points and seven boards. He is becoming a predictor of Village's success: when he posts at least 20 points the team is undefeated (and 7-10 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Carter Sterk, who had 16 points and six steals.

Village smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in nine consecutive contests.

Village has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-10 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 39.8 points. James Irwin's defeat dropped their record down to 2-17.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: James Irwin has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Village struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.