The Western Warriors will head out to take on the Rancho Rams at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Western will be strutting in after a victory while Rancho will be coming in after a defeat.
Rancho is hoping to do what Sierra Vista couldn't on Thursday: put an end to Western's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Western narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Sierra Vista 32-29. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Warriors have posted since January 31, 2024.
Laila Lwaba
| 01/09/25 vs Sierra Vista | 5 |
| 01/07/25 @ Southeast Career Tech | 4 |
| 01/06/25 vs Silverado | 7 |
| 12/28/24 vs Tehachapi | 4 |
Western found their leader in sophomore Laila Lwaba, who posted 15 points in addition to seven rebounds and five steals. Lwaba is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed four or more in the last four games she's played. Another player making a difference was Kyra Pace, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 11 boards.
Western smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in January of 2024.
Meanwhile, Rancho came up short against Sierra Vista on Tuesday and fell 56-44. The Rams haven't had much luck with the Mountain Lions recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
Loss or not, Rancho got some senior leadership from Taylor Dagons and Claudia Vargas-Arellano. Dagons dropped a double-double on 21 points and 20 boards, while Vargas-Arellano went 6 of 14 on her way to 16 points in addition to seven boards and three steals. That was a full 47.7% of Rancho's points, marking the sixth time in a row she's had more than a third of the team's points.
Western's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-6. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.8 points per game. As for Rancho, their defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 8-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Western has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Rancho struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Western was able to grind out a solid victory over Rancho in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, winning 49-42. Will Western repeat their success, or does Rancho have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
