Basketball Game Preview: Chaparral Firebirds vs. Arizona College Prep Knights

The Chaparral Firebirds will face off against the Arizona College Prep Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Chaparral is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 52.4 points per game this season.

Chaparral is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Horizon just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took a 50-38 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Huskies.

Despite the loss, Chaparral saw an underclassman step up: freshman Kaelie Weishaar posted 16 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals. The game was Weishaar's fifth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Margaret Connell, who scored six points and eight boards.

Meanwhile, Arizona College Prep suffered their biggest defeat since December 16, 2024 on Wednesday. They lost 54-32 to McClintock. The Knights' loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.

Chaparral will have to keep a close watch on Malak Hag and Chloe Warren, a pair of players who had a big impact on Arizona College Prep's prior game. Hag put up six points, while Warren had eight points.

Arizona College Prep's defeat dropped their record down to 10-10. As for Chaparral, they now have a losing record at 9-10.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Chaparral has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Arizona College Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Chaparral lost to Arizona College Prep at home by a decisive 57-41 margin in their previous meeting back in January. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Arizona College Prep's Jaylee Aulds, who earned 26 points and five rebounds. Now that Chaparral knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.