The Crimson Cliffs Mustangs will face off against the Desert Hills Thunder at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Crimson Cliffs knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past ten games -- so hopefully Desert Hills likes a good challenge.
If Desert Hills heads into halftime all tied up, they better play a good second half: that's when Crimson Cliffs took over last week. The Mustangs secured a 62-58 W over Hurricane on Wednesday.
Crimson Cliffs had a senior duo take command as McKay Lindquist shot 62% from the field en route to 17 points along with five assists and five rebounds and Easton Back went 8-for-15 on his way to 19 points and seven boards. Thanks to that strong game, Back now owns an excellent 45.1% field goal percentage. The team also got some help courtesy of Travis Murdock, who posted 11 points and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Desert Hills, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They came out on top against Dixie by a score of 51-43 on Wednesday.
Desert Hills' win came from a few key players that Crimson Cliffs will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Antene'a Tauaefa, who went 6-for-12 to rack up 14 points. He is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 50% in the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Kolten Andrus, who had 11 points and eight boards.
Desert Hills smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. They are 2-1 when they hit their own glass that hard.
Desert Hills' win bumped their record up to 9-12. As for Crimson Cliffs, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-7 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Crimson Cliffs has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Desert Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Crimson Cliffs beat Desert Hills 59-47 in their previous matchup back in January. Do the Mustangs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Thunder turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
