The Boulder Panthers lost against the Arvada West Wildcats back in December of 2022, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Tuesday. Boulder suffered a tough 43-18 loss at the hands of Arvada West. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Boulder in their matchups with Arvada West: they've now lost eight in a row.
When it comes to explaining why Boulder lost, one person who can't be blamed is Gaby Mccollester. Despite the final result, she scored nine points along with ten rebounds. Mccollester is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last three games she's played.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Boulder struggled to work together and finished the game with only an assist. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Arvada West was led to victory by Avery Harrison and Saylor Swanson. Harrison scored 11 points, while Swanson scored 22 points along with five rebounds and three blocks. The matchup was Swanson's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Sara Walker, who scored three points along with four steals.
Boulder bumped their record down to 4-3 with that defeat, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 22.0 points per game. As for Arvada West, their victory bumped their record up to 6-2.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. After both having extra time off, Boulder and Rock Canyon will dust off their jerseys to challenge one another at 7:00 p.m. on January 3, 2024. Rock Canyon presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Boulder in Colorado (Rock Canyon is ranked 14th, while Boulder is ranked 120th). Arvada West will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Silver Creek at 5:00 p.m. on January 3, 2024. Hopefully Silver Creek focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 19 on Saturday.
