Rampart is on a four-game streak of home losses, Liberty a four-game streak of away losses, but someone's luck will change on Thursday. The Rampart Rams will host the Liberty Lancers at 7:00 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Rampart is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Pueblo West on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Rampart was outmatched by Pueblo West and fell 63-30. The Rams were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 34-7.
Despite the loss, Rampart saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Arabelle Madril went 6 of 13 on her way to 17 points and five rebounds. That was a full 56.7% of Rampart's points, marking the third time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points.
Meanwhile, Liberty ended up a good deal behind Fountain-Fort Carson on Tuesday and lost 42-27.
Rampart will have to contain Samira Gantt as she made an impact in Liberty's last game. She had 13 points and three steals. That was a full 48.1% of Liberty's points, marking the seventh time in a row she's put up more than a third of the team's points.
Even though they lost, Liberty smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive games.
Rampart's defeat dropped their record down to 3-13. As for Liberty, their loss dropped their record down to 7-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Rampart has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 22.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Liberty struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Rampart ended up a good deal behind Liberty in their previous meeting back in January, losing 53-37. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Gantt, who went 10 for 19 en route to 25 points. Now that Rampart knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
