Basketball Game Preview: Gila Ridge Hawks vs. Cibola Raiders

Gila Ridge hasn't had much luck against Cibola recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Gila Ridge Hawks will square off against the Cibola Raiders at 7:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.

Gila Ridge had to skate by with only a two-point margin when they last took the court, which might have inspired the 28-point drubbing they dealt San Luis on Friday. Gila Ridge blew past San Luis, posting a 39-11 victory. Winning may never get old, but the Hawks sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.

Meanwhile, Cibola waltzed into their match on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They blew past the Sidewinders 66-8. Given the Raiders' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 91st, while the Sidewinders are ranked 266th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Gila Ridge's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-12. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 21.3 points over those games. As for Cibola, their victory bumped their record up to 17-8.

Gila Ridge was taken down by Cibola 60-27 when the teams last played back in December of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Cibola's Mariana Vega, who dropped a triple-double on 28 points, 14 boards, and 14 steals. Now that Gila Ridge knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.