After both having extra time off, the Green River Pirates and the Bryce Valley Mustangs will shake off the cobwebs and square off against one another at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Green River knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past 16 games -- so hopefully Bryce Valley likes a good challenge.
Last Saturday, everything went Green River's way against Caprock Academy as Green River made off with a 59-36 victory. The Pirates have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 14 matches by 23 points or more this season.
Rolando Anguiano was his usual excellent self, putting up 19 points along with eight rebounds and six steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Jason Hernandez, who went 6-for-13 to rack up 15 points in addition to six assists and five boards.
Green River was working as a unit and finished the game with 22 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Caprock Academy only nine assists.
Meanwhile, Bryce Valley came up short against Wayne last Saturday and fell 47-38. The Mustangs haven't had much luck with the Badgers recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Green River will have to contain Antonio Moreno as he made an impact in Bryce Valley's last game. He posted nine points. Those nine points gave Moreno a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Luke Andrus, who put up five points and five steals.
Green River's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-5. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 35.5 points. As for Bryce Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-14.
Keep an eye on the arc in Wednesday's contest: Green River has been dynamite from deep this season, having drained 35.6% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Bryce Valley, though, as they've only made 29.8% of their three-pointers this season. Given Green River's sizable advantage in that area, Bryce Valley will need to find a way to close that gap.
Green River was able to grind out a solid victory over Bryce Valley when the teams last played back in January of 2024, winning 49-42. The rematch might be a little tougher for Green River since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
