Basketball Game Preview: Rifle Bears vs. Delta Panthers

The Rifle Bears will face off against the Delta Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Rifle is coming into the game on a four-game losing streak.

Last Saturday, Rifle had to suffer through a 78-43 loss at the hands of Eagle Valley. While losing is never fun, the Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 269th, while the Devils are ranked 48th).

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was John Langstaff, who went 6 of 7 on his way to 13 points. Adan Medina was another key player, going 6 for 15 en route to 13 points.

Delta fell on hard times earlier this season, but after back-to-back wins it seems like their luck might finally be changing. They took down Battle Mountain 63-46 on Thursday.

Rifle's defeat dropped their record down to 2-8. As for Delta, their victory bumped their record up to 4-7.

Rifle was dealt a bruising 73-35 loss at the hands of Delta when the teams last played back in January of 2024. Thankfully for Rifle, Tucker Johnson (who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 15 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.