The Mesa Verde Mavericks will head out on the road to face off against the Rio Linda Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Mesa Verde will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps California Rankings (they are ranked 873rd, while Rio Linda is ranked 378th).
Last Friday, Mesa Verde ended up a good deal behind Dixon and lost 42-28. Mesa Verde has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite the defeat, Mesa Verde saw an underclassman step up: Jaiden Alexander scored three points along with 17 rebounds and two steals. Alexander has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last eight times she's played. Another player making a difference was Ruby Solis, who scored ten points.
Meanwhile, Rio Linda scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They really took it to Woodland for the full four quarters, racking up a 73-33 victory on the road. Rio Linda has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten contests by 22 points or more this season.
Rio Linda's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Savannah Grant, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 16 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Grant has scored all season. Mariah Walton was another key contributor, scoring 22 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Mesa Verde has not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-8 record this season. As for Rio Linda, they are on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 13 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season.
Tuesday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Mesa Verde have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 30.7 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Rio Linda, though, as they've been averaging only 41.1 rebounds per game. Given Mesa Verde's sizeable advantage in that area, Rio Linda will need to find a way to close that gap.
Mesa Verde might still be hurting after the 52-26 loss they got from Rio Linda when the teams last played back in February of 2023. Can Mesa Verde avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
