Basketball Game Preview: Yuma Criminals vs. Gila Ridge Hawks

The Yuma Criminals are taking a road trip to challenge the Gila Ridge Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

On Tuesday, Yuma really took it to Desert Sunrise for the full four quarters, racking up a 78-44 victory. The Criminals have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 23 points or more this season.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Yuma to victory, but perhaps none more so than Elliott Higuera, who posted 23 points. With that strong performance, Higuera is now averaging an impressive 15.2 points per game. Nick Amador was another key player, putting up 17 points.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Gila Ridge). They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Kofa 75-33. The win was some much needed relief for the Hawks as it spelled an end to their eight-game losing streak.

Yuma is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 74.5 points per game. As for Gila Ridge, their victory ended an eight-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-11.

Everything came up roses for Yuma against Gila Ridge when the teams last played two weeks ago, as the squad secured an 85-48 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Yuma since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.