Basketball Game Preview: Virginia City Muckers vs. Smith Valley Bulldogs

The Virginia City Muckers will face off against the Smith Valley Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Virginia City has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Virginia City is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Mineral County: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Virginia City blew Mineral County out of the water with a 70-26 final score. The Muckers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine contests by 20 points or more this season.

Kaiya Krum was nothing short of spectacular: she went 12 of 24 on her way to 29 points along with eight rebounds and six assists. That makes it three consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Virginia City's points. Another player making a difference was Nanna Lopez, who posted six points and 13 steals.

Virginia City smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive rebound total in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Smith Valley entered their tilt with Sage Ridge on Friday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They pulled ahead with a 42-41 photo finish over the Scorpions.

Smith Valley has also been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.9 points per game. As for Virginia City, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 15-8.

Virginia City won a contest that couldn't have been any closer in their previous matchup back in January, slipping by Smith Valley 44-43. The rematch might be a little tougher for Virginia City since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.