The Coal Ridge Titans and the DSST: Green Valley Ranch Raptors will face off at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday without much rest, having both just played. Coal Ridge knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully DSST: Green Valley Ranch likes a good challenge.
Coal Ridge is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They breezed past Stargate School to the tune of 76-40. The Titans' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Ben Simons
| 03/07/25 vs Stargate School | 20 |
| 01/06/24 vs Moffat County | 18 |
| 02/22/25 @ Moffat County | 15 |
| 02/13/25 vs Rifle | 15 |
| 02/07/25 vs Delta | 15 |
Ben Simons was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double with 23 points and 20 rebounds. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in boards. Diego Gamez was another key player, going 6-for-10 to rack up 15 points and five steals.
Coal Ridge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in nine consecutive games.
Meanwhile, DSST: Green Valley Ranch can bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Friday. They took down Jefferson Academy 53-39.
DSST: Green Valley Ranch's win came from a few key players Coal Ridge will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Tobe Ozoma, who shot 75% from the field en route to 14 points. The team also got some help courtesy of David Abankwa, who went 5-for-7 on his way to 10 points.
Coal Ridge is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 15 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.0 points over those games. DSST: Green Valley Ranch's victory bumped their record up to 16-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Coal Ridge has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like DSST: Green Valley Ranch struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Coal Ridge came up short against DSST: Green Valley Ranch when the teams last played back in March of 2020, falling 59-51. Thankfully for Coal Ridge, Timothy Huston (who dropped a double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
