The Rocky Mountain Lutheran Eagles will square off against the Mile High Academy Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Rocky Mountain Lutheran has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Mile High Academy will arrive with four straight victories.
Rocky Mountain Lutheran is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Hi-Plains on Saturday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Rocky Mountain Lutheran took a blow against Hi-Plains, falling 47-11. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 320th, while the Patriots are ranked 99th).
Sofia Meza-Villa was Rocky Mountain Lutheran's leading scorer, having posted five points. Avery Marrs held things down on the boards with three rebounds.
Meanwhile, Mile High Academy hadn't done well against Front Range Baptist recently (they were 1-6 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Mile High Academy took their game with ease, bagging a 57-18 win over Front Range Baptist. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine contests by 22 points or more this season.
Mile High Academy's win came from a few key players Rocky Mountain Lutheran will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Delanie Prowant, who posted eight points and 12 boards. She has become a key player for Mile High Academy: the team is 13-3 when she posts at least eight rebounds, but 2-3 otherwise. Kylie Helm was another key player, going 5-for-8 on her way to 15 points and eight boards.
Mile High Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 20 consecutive matches.
Mile High Academy pushed their record up to 15-6 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 22.0 points over those games. As for Rocky Mountain Lutheran, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-15.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Rocky Mountain Lutheran has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 24 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Mile High Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Rocky Mountain Lutheran came up short against Mile High Academy when the teams last played on February 4th, falling 33-21. Can Rocky Mountain Lutheran avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
