The Durango Demons will challenge the Montrose Red Hawks at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Durango sitting on 12 straight victories and Montrose on nine.
Last Saturday, Durango blew past Grand Junction Central, posting a 48-18 win. Given the Demons' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 21st, while the Warriors are ranked 220th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/07/23 vs Discovery Canyon | 21 |
| 01/18/25 vs Grand Junction Central | 13 |
| 01/17/25 vs Palisade | 12 |
| 12/08/23 vs Lewis-Palmer | 12 |
| 12/02/23 @ Centauri | 9 |
Durango can attribute much of their success to Tyler Trujillo, who went 5 for 11 on her way to 13 points. That's the most points Trujillo has posted since back in December of 2023. Lilly Fitzpatrick was another key player, putting up seven points.
Meanwhile, Montrose got the win against Montezuma-Cortez on Tuesday by a conclusive 49-25. The Red Hawks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten games by 21 points or more this season.
Durango better keep an eye on Mayce Oberg. She was instrumental in Montrose's win, going 8 of 16 en route to 19 points and seven rebounds. Another player making a difference was Lilly Nelson, who posted eight points and ten boards.
Montrose smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in eight consecutive contests.
Montrose's victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-1. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 22.0 points per game. As for Durango, their record is now 13-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Durango has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Montrose struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Durango came up short against Montrose when the teams last played back in February of 2024, falling 35-23. Can Durango avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
