The Western Warriors will square off against the Rancho Rams at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Western is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.
Last Thursday, Western humbled Doral Academy Red Rock with a 48-20 victory. The Warriors have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 28 points or more this season.
Western's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Laila Lwaba led the charge by putting up 18 points and seven steals. That makes it four consecutive games in which Lwaba has scored at least a third of Western's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyra Pace, who posted eight points in addition to 16 boards and six assists.
Western smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in January of 2024.
Meanwhile, Rancho was just a bucket shy of victory on Tuesday and fell 40-39 to Cimarron-Memorial.
Western will need focus on slowing down Claudia Vargas-Arellano, one of several Rancho players who made an impact when they last played. She had 15 points. Vargas-Arellano's evening made it three games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Jada Farrell, who scored ten points.
Western's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-6. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.2 points per game. As for Rancho, their loss dropped their record down to 10-9.
Everything came up roses for Western against Rancho when the teams last played last Monday, as the team secured a 61-33 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Rancho's Taylor Dagons, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 11 rebounds. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Western still be able to contain Dagons? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
