Two dominant guards in Gianna Smith and Makenzie Jones are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Arapahoe Warriors will take on the Mullen Mustangs in a tournament on Friday. Arapahoe has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Arapahoe took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They strolled past Eaglecrest with points to spare, taking the game 60-41.
Smith was her usual excellent self, going 7-for-13 en route to 24 points and six boards. That makes it six consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Arapahoe's points. Ashley Seavall was another key player, putting up six points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Mullen faced Cherokee Trail in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Wednesday. Mullen took a 39-33 hit to the loss column at the hands of Cherokee Trail. The matchup marked the Mustangs' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Arapahoe will need to focus on slowing down Jones, one of several Mullen players who made an impact when they last played. She posted 16 points in addition to eight boards and four steals. Jones has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Tatum Jones, who had eight points and six rebounds.
Arapahoe pushed their record up to 11-8 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.6 points over those games. As for Mullen, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Arapahoe has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 23.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Mullen struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Arapahoe didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Mullen in their previous matchup back in January, but they still walked away with a 46-40 win. Does Arapahoe have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mullen turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
