ThunderRidge has gone 3-0 against Ralston Valley recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The ThunderRidge Grizzlies will head out to face off against the Ralston Valley Mustangs at 6:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
ThunderRidge is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Colorado's top teams: Regis Jesuit, who was ranked fifth at the time (ThunderRidge was ranked eighth). ThunderRidge had just enough and edged Regis Jesuit out 69-66. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Grizzlies have posted since March 8, 2024.
| 01/21/25 @ Regis Jesuit | 26 |
| 01/17/25 @ Chaparral | 21 |
| 01/11/25 vs George Washington | 16 |
| 01/10/25 @ Overland | 16 |
| 01/03/25 vs Cherry Creek | 19 |
Drew Paine and Ulysses Brown were among the main playmakers for ThunderRidge as the former went 11 for 16 on his way to 26 points and six rebounds and the latter almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine boards. The contest was Paine's fifth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Sam Walkowiak, who posted seven points and six boards.
ThunderRidge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Ralston Valley put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 88-24 victory over Lakewood. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matchups by 20 points or more this season.
Ralston Valley's win came from a few key players ThunderRidge will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Caiden Braketa, who went 5 of 6 en route to 12 points along with five assists and three steals. Another player making a difference was Zeke Andrews, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds.
Ralston Valley's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-0. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 74.7 points per game. As for ThunderRidge, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season.
ThunderRidge was able to grind out a solid victory over Ralston Valley in their previous matchup back in December of 2022, winning 72-62. Will ThunderRidge repeat their success, or does Ralston Valley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
