After both having extra time off, the Arvada West Wildcats and the Legacy Lightning will dust off their jerseys to square off against one another at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Arvada West has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.
Arvada West is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their game last Friday with ease, bagging a 66-17 win over Brighton. With that victory, the Wildcats brought their scoring average up to 51.6 points per game.
| 12/20/24 @ Brighton | 15 |
| 12/18/24 vs Douglas County | 17 |
| 12/14/24 @ Kelly Walsh | 15 |
Arvada West's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Macie Ferguson, who went 6 of 9 en route to 15 points and three steals. Ferguson's evening made it three games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Avery Harrison, who posted eight points.
Arvada West smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Legacy came into Thursday's contest having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They simply couldn't be stopped two weeks ago as they easily beat Mountain Range 62-21. Given the Lightning's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 100th, while the Mustangs are ranked 228th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Arvada West better keep an eye on Olivia Mortensen. She was instrumental in Legacy's win, dropping a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds. Mortensen is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 17 or more in the last 18 games she's played dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Riley Reichenberg, who went 7 of 8 on her way to 15 points.
Arvada West pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.8 points per game. As for Legacy, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Arvada West has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 30.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Legacy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Arvada West strolled past Legacy in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 by a score of 48-29. Will Arvada West repeat their success, or does Legacy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
