Salida is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Manitou Springs is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Salida Spartans will host the Manitou Springs Mustangs at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Salida is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.6 points per game this season.
On Saturday, Salida needed a bit of extra time to put away Simla. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Cubs, sneaking past 52-50.
Braeden Johnson
| 02/08/25 @ Simla | 2 |
| 02/06/25 @ Rye | 5 |
| 02/05/25 @ Banning Lewis Academy | 6 |
| 01/28/25 vs Ellicott | 4 |
| 01/25/25 @ Summit | 3 |
| + 11 more games |
Braeden Johnson was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double with 19 points and 13 boards. Johnson is also crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Kaija Saari was another key player, going 6-for-9 on her way to 13 points.
Salida was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. They racked up six more assists than Simla's also-impressive total of ten.
Meanwhile, Manitou Springs posted their biggest victory since January 5, 2024 on Tuesday. They breezed past Woodland Park to the tune of 49-13. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 28-6.
Manitou Springs found their leader in freshman Nolan Barrett, who went 6-for-10 en route to 15 points and eight steals. Manitou Springs is undefeated when Barrett posts five or more steals, but 6-7 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Kate Jorstad, who posted three points in addition to six rebounds and six steals.
Manitou Springs is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a massive bump to their 9-7 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.6 points over those games. As for Salida, their win bumped their record up to 13-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Salida has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Manitou Springs struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything went Salida's way against Manitou Springs when the teams last played back in January of 2024, as Salida made off with a 55-29 victory. Does Salida have another victory up their sleeve, or will Manitou Springs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
