Basketball Game Preview: Rincon/University Rangers vs. Maryvale Panthers

The Rincon/University Rangers will square off against the Maryvale Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Last Tuesday, Rincon/University was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 74-70 to Sahuaro. The loss continues a trend for the Rangers in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now lost six in a row.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Maryvale, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They breezed by Kofa to the tune of 74-45 on Tuesday. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 103rd, while the Kings are ranked 302nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Maryvale has also been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-8 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.0 points per game. As for Rincon/University, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-10.