Basketball Game Preview: Smithson Valley Rangers vs. New Braunfels Unicorns

The Smithson Valley Rangers and the New Braunfels Unicorns will compete for holiday cheer at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Smithson Valley is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.

Last Friday, Smithson Valley ended up a good deal behind Pieper and lost 50-31. While losing is never fun, the Rangers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 641st, while the Warriors are ranked 40th).

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for New Braunfels, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They took down Veterans Memorial 48-29 on Friday. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Unicorns as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Smithson Valley better keep an eye on Alyana Mcgarity. She was instrumental in New Braunfels' win, almost dropping a double-double on 23 points and nine boards. The dominant performance also gave Mcgarity a new career-high in blocks (six). Another player making a difference was Ryler Wilson, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Smithson Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 7-14. As for New Braunfels, their win was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 13-10.

Smithson Valley didn't have too much breathing room in their game against New Braunfels in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, but they still walked away with a 59-54 victory. Does Smithson Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will New Braunfels turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.