Basketball Game Preview: Damonte Ranch Mustangs vs. Galena Grizzlies

The Damonte Ranch Mustangs will square off against the Galena Grizzlies at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. One thing working in Damonte Ranch's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five matchups.

Damonte Ranch is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Douglas just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 70-69 to the Tigers.

Defeat or not, Damonte Ranch got some senior leadership from Drew Dodson and Jeriah Macias. Dodson went 6 of 15 en route to 27 points along with eight assists and three steals, while Macias went 7 of 10 on his way to 21 points. Dodson's evening made it 13 games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kin Vong, who posted 11 points.

Meanwhile, Galena was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They took a 61-43 bruising from Reed.

Damonte Ranch will need focus on slowing down Zakery Smrt, one of several Galena players who made an impact when they last played. He put up six points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Matthew Ritenhouse, who had seven points.

Even though they lost, Galena smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.

Damonte Ranch's defeat dropped their record down to 8-7. As for Galena, their loss dropped their record down to 6-9.

Keep an eye on the arc in Monday's game: Damonte Ranch has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 39.2% of their three-pointers per game. It's a different story for Galena, though, as they've only made 23.4% of their three-pointers this season. Given Damonte Ranch's sizable advantage in that area, Galena will need to find a way to close that gap.

Damonte Ranch beat Galena 67-56 in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Does Damonte Ranch have another victory up their sleeve, or will Galena turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.