The Denver West Cowboys will challenge the Kennedy Commanders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Denver West's favor as the squad sits on four straight wins at home while Kennedy has been banged up by seven consecutive losses on the road.
On Wednesday, Denver West made easy work of DSST: College View and carried off a 65-45 victory. The Cowboys have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 20 points or more this season.
Denver West's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jeremiah Parker led the charge by dropping a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds. Ari Cowens was another key player, going 7-for-10 on his way to 21 points.
Denver West smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 12 consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Kennedy played a tough matchup on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were beaten by DSST: Green Valley Ranch 73-40. While losing is never fun, the Commanders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 309th, while the Raptors are ranked 70th).
Denver West will have to keep a close watch on Anthony Zink and Xavier Benavidez, a pair of players who had a big impact on Kennedy's prior game. Zink went 5-for-12 to rack up 13 points, while Benavidez posted eight points.
Denver West is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.4 points over those games. As for Kennedy, their loss dropped their record down to 3-15.
Keep an eye on the arc in Friday's contest: Denver West has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 45.9% of their three-pointers per game. It's a different story for Kennedy, though, as they've only made 28.3% of their threes this season. Given Denver West's sizable advantage in that area, Kennedy will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Denver West against Kennedy when the teams last played back in January of 2024, as the team secured an 83-56 win. Will Denver West repeat their success, or does Kennedy have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
