After both having extra time off, the Standley Lake Gators and the Kennedy Commanders will shake off the cobwebs and challenge one another at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Standley Lake is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Silver Creek: they outscored them in every quarter. Standley Lake took down Silver Creek 57-39 two weeks ago. Given the Gators' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 27th, while the Raptors are ranked 139th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Kameron Mireles-Ciancio had a dynamite game for Standley Lake, going 9 of 14 on her way to 25 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Aaliyah Valenzuela, who went 6 for 12 on her way to 12 points and six rebounds.
Standley Lake smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Kennedy beat Wellington 55-49 last Saturday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Commanders.
Kennedy's win came from a few key players Standley Lake will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Morgan Williams, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 13 rebounds. Audrinna Aragon was another key player, going 5 of 9 on her way to 15 points along with six rebounds and four steals.
Kennedy's win bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Standley Lake, their victory bumped their record up to 8-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Standley Lake has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 36.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Kennedy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.7 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Standley Lake against Kennedy in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, as the squad secured a 67-37 win. Does Standley Lake have another victory up their sleeve, or will Kennedy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
