Basketball Game Preview: Coronado Cougars vs. Mesa Ridge Grizzlies

Coronado is 2-8 against Mesa Ridge since December of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Coronado Cougars will be playing at home against the Mesa Ridge Grizzlies at 7:30 p.m.

Coronado is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Falcon on Saturday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Coronado lost 61-37 to Falcon. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 273rd, while the Falcons are ranked 77th).

Meanwhile, Mesa Ridge waltzed into their contest on Saturday with 16 straight wins... but they left with 17. They skirted past the Thunder 54-51. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Grizzlies have posted since January 19, 2024.

Coronado better keep an eye on Bryce Riehl. He was instrumental in Mesa Ridge's win, going 8 of 20 on his way to 23 points along with seven steals and six boards. Riehl has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last seven times he's played. Another player making a difference was Zander Iwanski, who posted eight points.

Mesa Ridge pushed their record up to 17-1 with the victory, which was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.7 points over those games. As for Coronado, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-19.

Coronado came up short against Mesa Ridge in their previous meeting back in January, falling 55-42. Will Coronado have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.