After both having extra time off, the Denver South Ravens and the Dakota Ridge Eagles will dust off their jerseys to face off against one another at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Denver South's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.
Denver South is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Leuzinger just ended the team's four-game winning streak last Saturday. They fell 75-66 to the Olympians. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Ravens came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 25th in Colorado, while the Olympians are ranked 115th in California).
| 12/21/24 vs Leuzinger | 26 |
| 12/20/24 vs R.W. Goines Stem Academy | 16 |
| 12/19/24 vs Clovis | 9 |
| 12/18/24 vs Knight | 18 |
| 12/13/24 vs Lakewood | 15 |
Despite the defeat, Denver South got top-tier performance from Damian Dirden, who went 6 for 9 from beyond the arc on his way to 26 points and three steals. With that strong performance, Dirden is now averaging an impressive 16.3 points per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Brody Shepard, who went 7 of 16 on his way to 17 points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Dakota Ridge also suffered a loss in their last game, but this one to Ralston Valley by a score of 68-58. The loss continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Mustangs: they've now lost five in a row.
Denver South will have to contain Nathan Esau as he made an impact in Dakota Ridge's last game. He went 7 of 12 on his way to 18 points in addition to six assists and five boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Alijah Sawyer, who posted nine points.
Denver South's defeat dropped their record down to 5-2. As for Dakota Ridge, their loss dropped their record down to 4-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Denver South has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 27.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Dakota Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Denver South came out on top in a nail-biter against Dakota Ridge when the teams last played back in February, sneaking past 62-59. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Dakota Ridge's Ethan Berninger, who put up 22 points and eight rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Denver South still be able to contain Berninger? There's only one way to find out.
