After both having extra time off, the Bradshaw Mountain Bears and the Cibola Raiders will shake off the cobwebs and square off against one another at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday. Bradshaw Mountain's defense has only allowed 28.1 points per game this season, so Cibola's offense will have their work cut out for them.
While Bradshaw Mountain didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They blew past Mohave 42-16 two weeks ago. Given the Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' Arizona basketball rankings (they are ranked 88th, while the Thunderbirds are ranked 206th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/17/24 @ Mohave | 4 |
| 12/12/24 @ Cactus | 5 |
| 12/11/24 vs Cactus Shadows | 2 |
| 12/06/24 vs Dysart | 2 |
| 12/03/24 @ Combs | 7 |
It was another big night for Kalli Smith, who went 5 for 11 on her way to 10 points in addition to eight boards and five assists. She is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last ten games she's played dating back to last season. Kenna Martinez was another key player, putting up six points along with six steals and five boards.
Bradshaw Mountain smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Cibola lost to Imperial at home by a 51-36 margin two weeks ago.
Loss or not, Cibola got some senior leadership from Avianna Salcedo and Mariana Vega. Salcedo dropped a double-double on ten points and ten boards, while Vega dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten boards.
Bradshaw Mountain pushed their record up to 5-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 19.3 points per game. As for Cibola, their defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 8-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Bradshaw Mountain has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Cibola struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Bradshaw Mountain took a serious blow against Cibola when the teams last played back in December of 2023, falling 50-12. Thankfully for Bradshaw Mountain, Isabela Molina (who made all 6 shots she took to post 12 points in addition to six assists and six steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
