After both having extra time off, the Cibola Raiders and the Bradshaw Mountain Bears will dust off their jerseys to square off against one another at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday. Cibola is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 54.3 points per game this season.
Two weeks ago, Cibola ended up a good deal behind Imperial and lost 51-36.
Mariana Vega
| 12/18/24 vs Imperial | 10 |
| 12/16/24 @ Yuma | 15 |
| 12/13/24 vs Mountain Ridge | 10 |
| 12/12/24 @ Paradise Honors | 10 |
| 12/09/24 @ Gila Ridge | 14 |
Loss or not, Cibola got some senior leadership from Avianna Salcedo and Mariana Vega. Salcedo dropped a double-double on ten points and ten boards, while Vega dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds. Vega has been hot, having posted ten or more boards the last seven times she's played.
While Bradshaw Mountain didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They were the clear victor by a 42-16 margin over Mohave two weeks ago. Given the Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 88th, while the Thunderbirds are ranked 206th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Cibola better keep an eye on Kalli Smith. She was instrumental in Bradshaw Mountain's win, going 5 of 11 on her way to 10 points along with eight boards and five assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Kenna Martinez, who posted six points in addition to six steals and five boards.
Bradshaw Mountain smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in seven consecutive matchups.
Bradshaw Mountain pushed their record up to 5-2 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 19.3 points per game. As for Cibola, their defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 8-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Cibola has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Bradshaw Mountain struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Cibola against Bradshaw Mountain in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, as the squad secured a 50-12 victory. Does Cibola have another victory up their sleeve, or will Bradshaw Mountain turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
