Basketball Game Preview: Coal Ridge Titans vs. Steamboat Springs Sailors

The Coal Ridge Titans will head out on the road to take on the Steamboat Springs Sailors at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. One thing working in Coal Ridge's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five contests.

On Friday, Coal Ridge earned a 69-62 win over Moffat County. That's two games straight that the Titans have won by exactly seven points.

Ben Simons was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 20 points and 12 boards. He is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last six games he's played. Diego Gamez was another key player, going 6 for 10 en route to 13 points and five steals.

Coal Ridge 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 16 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Steamboat Springs' good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They fell just short of Delta by a score of 52-49.

Coal Ridge is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.8 points per game. As for Steamboat Springs, their loss dropped their record down to 5-11.

Coal Ridge came out on top in a nail-biter against Steamboat Springs in their previous matchup back in January, sneaking past 48-45. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Steamboat Springs' Jeffrey Sturges, who went 9 of 19 on his way to 29 points along with five boards and three steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Coal Ridge still be able to contain Sturges? There's only one way to find out.