Two dominant guards in Makenzie Jones and Gianna Smith are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Mullen Mustangs will challenge the Arapahoe Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
Mullen is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Colorado's top teams: Cherokee Trail, who was ranked ninth at the time (Mullen was ranked 17th). Mullen fell to Cherokee Trail 39-33. The defeat continues a trend for the Mustangs in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now lost six in a row.
Makenzie Jones
| 02/12/25 vs Cherokee Trail | 4 |
| 02/07/25 @ Eaglecrest | 4 |
| 02/05/25 vs Cherry Creek | 4 |
| 01/31/25 @ Smoky Hill | 4 |
| 01/29/25 vs Grandview | 2 |
| + 2 more games |
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Jones, who posted 16 points in addition to eight boards and four steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last seven games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Tatum Jones, who earned eight points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Arapahoe, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They took down Eaglecrest 60-41 on Wednesday.
Mullen better keep an eye on Smith. She was instrumental in Arapahoe's win, going 7-for-13 on her way to 24 points and six boards. That makes it six consecutive games in which Smith has scored at least a third of Arapahoe's points. Another player making a difference was Ashley Seavall, who scored six points and six rebounds.
Arapahoe's win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-8. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.6 points over those games. As for Mullen, their loss dropped their record down to 12-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Mullen has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 26.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Arapahoe struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Mullen came up short against Arapahoe in their previous meeting back in January, falling 46-40. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Smith, who went 8-for-17 to rack up 24 points and six boards. Now that Mullen knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
