Basketball Game Preview: Round Valley Elks vs. Safford Bulldogs

Having just played yesterday, the Round Valley Elks will head out on the road to face off against the Safford Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

On Thursday, Round Valley came up short against Valley and fell 56-43. The Elks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Despite the loss, Round Valley saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Kelci Walker dropped a double-double on 24 points and 13 boards. The match was Walker's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Carla Arreola, who posted eight points.

Even though they lost, Round Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 20 consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Safford took their game on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 50-11 win over Palo Verde.

Round Valley's defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-9. As for Safford, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 3-10.

Round Valley didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Safford in their previous meeting back in January of 2023, but they still walked away with a 38-33 win. Does Round Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will Safford turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.