Ironwood Ridge and the Bobcats are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2016, but not for long. The Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks will head out on the road to square off against the Cienega Bobcats at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Hopefully Ironwood Ridge focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 13 on Wednesday.
Last Wednesday, Ironwood Ridge came up short against the Falcons and fell 49-40. Ironwood Ridge has struggled against the Falcons recently, as their match on Wednesday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Myla Elslager, who scored eight points along with six rebounds and six steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaidyn Saucedo, who scored 13 points along with seven steals.
Meanwhile, Cienega had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.3 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They pulled ahead with a 46-45 photo finish over Buena.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Cienega to victory, but perhaps none more so than Mia Kelley, who scored 13 points along with five assists and four steals. Elizabeth Puente was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds.
Ironwood Ridge's loss dropped their record down to 14-11. As for Cienega, they now have a winning record of 13-12.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Ironwood Ridge have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Cienega struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Ironwood Ridge against the Bobcats in their previous meeting back in January of 2023 as the team secured a 55-26 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Ironwood Ridge since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
