Basketball Game Preview: Odyssey Institute Minotaur vs. River Valley Dust Devils

The Odyssey Institute Minotaur will take on the River Valley Dust Devils at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

On Tuesday, Odyssey Institute took a blow against Fountain Hills, falling 47-10. While losing is never fun, the Minotaur can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 255th, while the Falcons are ranked 30th).

Meanwhile, River Valley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their 17th straight defeat dating back to last season. They were dealt a 56-8 loss at the hands of Kingman. The contest marked the Dust Devils' lowest-scoring match so far this season.

River Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 0-7. As for Odyssey Institute, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-7 record this season.

Everything came up roses for Odyssey Institute against River Valley in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, as the team secured a 56-19 victory. Will Odyssey Institute repeat their success, or does River Valley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.