Basketball Game Preview: ThunderRidge Grizzlies vs. Chaparral Wolverines

ThunderRidge hasn't had much luck against Chaparral recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The ThunderRidge Grizzlies will venture away from home to face off against the Chaparral Wolverines at 7:00 p.m. ThunderRidge is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 64.2 points per game this season.

ThunderRidge is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Colorado's top teams: George Washington, who was ranked 14th at the time (ThunderRidge was ranked tenth). ThunderRidge fell 58-49 to George Washington on Saturday.

The losing side was boosted by Drew Paine, who went 7 for 13 on his way to 16 points. His afternoon made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Joey Walkowiak, who posted eight points.

Meanwhile, Chaparral strolled past Fruita Monument with points to spare on Saturday, taking the game 66-52. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Wolverines.

The match pitted two dominant guards against one another in Christian Williams and Jhett Wells. Williams had a great game and went 7 of 10 on his way to 22 points and five assists. Meanwhile, Wells was balling out in the loss, going 9 of 20 on his way to 25 points and six rebounds.

ThunderRidge's defeat dropped their record down to 10-3. As for Chaparral, their win bumped their record up to 9-3.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: ThunderRidge has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Chaparral struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

ThunderRidge came up short against Chaparral in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 68-60. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Chaparral's Luke Howery, who went 10 of 21 on his way to 25 points in addition to five boards and three blocks. Now that ThunderRidge knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.