After four games on the road, Rio Rancho is heading back home. The Rio Rancho Rams and the Rio Grande Ravens will face off at 7:00 p.m. on December 21st without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Rio Rancho ultimately got the result they hoped for last Saturday. They came out on top against Artesia by a score of 57-49.
Jayden Johnson and Kevin Archuleta were among the main playmakers for Rio Rancho as the former dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds and the latter scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. Johnson set a new season high mark in steals with six. Another player making a difference was Aidan Wood, who scored ten points.
Meanwhile, Rio Grande entered their tilt with Chaparral with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. Rio Grande strolled past Chaparral with points to spare on Saturday, taking the game 41-24. Despite the win, that was the fewest points Rio Grande has scored all year.
Rio Grande's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Marcos Valenzuela led the charge by scoring five points. Valenzuela also grabbed two steals for the first time this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Mateo Gonzalez, who scored five points along with ten rebounds.
Rio Rancho now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Rio Grande, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-3.
Thursday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Rio Rancho have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 31.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Rio Grande struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 30.9 rebounds per game. Given Rio Rancho's sizeable advantage in that area, Rio Grande will need to find a way to close that gap.
Rio Rancho beat Rio Grande 78-70 when the teams last played back in December of 2018. Will Rio Rancho repeat their success, or does Rio Grande have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
