Basketball Game Preview: Stone Ridge Christian Knights vs. Mariposa County Grizzlies

The Stone Ridge Christian Knights will venture away from home to challenge the Mariposa County Grizzlies at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Mariposa County is hoping to do what Gustine couldn't on Tuesday: put an end to Stone Ridge Christian's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Stone Ridge Christian breezed by Gustine to the tune of 57-30.

Stone Ridge Christian got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Bella Ewing out in front who posted 24 points. That makes it nine consecutive games in which Ewing has scored at least a third of Stone Ridge Christian's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Tailynn Dungy, who earned 19 points.

Meanwhile, Mariposa County took their matchup on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 65-25 victory over Waterford. The Grizzlies have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 21 points or more this season.

Mariposa County's win came from a few key players Stone Ridge Christian will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Mia Hansen, who put up eight points and six steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Denise Corona, who posted eight points in addition to five rebounds and five steals.

Mariposa County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in eight consecutive contests.

Mariposa County is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.5 points per game. As for Stone Ridge Christian, their win bumped their record up to 4-5.

Stone Ridge Christian strolled past Mariposa County when the teams last played back in December of 2021 by a score of 45-27. Will Stone Ridge Christian repeat their success, or does Mariposa County have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.