The Rio Americano Raiders will head out to take on the Sacramento Dragons at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Rio Americano took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They secured a 51-46 W over Bella Vista. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Raiders as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Rio Americano got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Natalie Saunders out in front who posted 14 points. Saunders is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Lexie Miller, who had 12 points.
Meanwhile, Sacramento was able to grind out a solid victory over River City on Thursday, taking the game 45-37. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Dragons.
Rio Americano better keep an eye on La Ne Dunn. She was instrumental in Sacramento's win, almost dropping a triple-double on 25 points, 17 boards, and nine steals. Dunn's evening made it seven games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Chrisshaya Haygood was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on nine points and 13 rebounds.
Sacramento smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 27 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in January of 2024.
Sacramento has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.8 points per game. As for Rio Americano, their win was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 6-9.
Rio Americano came up short against Sacramento in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 39-33. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Dunn, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 13 rebounds. Now that Rio Americano knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
