Basketball Game Preview: Salida Spartans vs. James Irwin Jaguars

The Salida Spartans will face off against the James Irwin Jaguars at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Salida has four straight victories, James Irwin has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Thursday, Salida strolled past Woodland Park with points to spare, taking the game 51-37. Given the Spartans' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 52nd, while the Panthers are ranked 252nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, James Irwin played a tough contest on Thursday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They had to suffer through a 49-20 loss at the hands of Florence. The Jaguars were down 35-14 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.

Salida will need focus on slowing down David Lazcano, one of several James Irwin players who made an impact when they last played. He posted five points and five steals. Adrian Ocasio also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.

Salida's win was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-2. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.6 points per game. As for James Irwin, their loss dropped their record down to 1-5.

Salida took their victory against James Irwin when the teams last played back in January of 2024 by a conclusive 64-44. Does Salida have another victory up their sleeve, or will James Irwin turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.