Basketball Game Preview: Ash Fork Spartans vs. Williams Vikings

Ash Fork is 1-9 against Williams since February of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Ash Fork Spartans will look to defend their home court against the Williams Vikings at 5:30 p.m. Williams took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Ash Fork, who comes in off a win.

Ash Fork is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Seligman 69-19 on Monday. The Spartans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matches by 27 points or more this season.

Ash Fork's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Isabella Acosta, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 steals. Acosta is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least three every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Crystal Nixon, who went 7 for 10 en route to 14 points and four steals.

Ash Fork was working as a unit and finished the game with ten assists. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 6 assists per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 5.8.

Meanwhile, Williams had to suffer through a 56-27 loss at the hands of Mogollon. The Vikings have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Ash Fork has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 40.7 points. As for Williams, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-6.

Everything came up roses for Ash Fork against Williams in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, as the team secured a 51-24 victory. Will Ash Fork repeat their success, or does Williams have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.