Two dominant guards in Jadyn Martinez and Rhett McDonald are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. We've got a battle between Panthers coming up. Sierra Grande is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 61.1 points per game this season.
Sierra Grande's tournament run continued when they took on Sanford on Saturday. Sierra Grande took a 53-40 hit to the loss column at the hands of Sanford. The match marked the Panthers' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Rolando Najera
| 03/01/25 vs Sanford | 4 |
| 02/27/25 vs Center | 4 |
| 02/25/25 vs Centennial | 5 |
| 02/21/25 @ Primero | 4 |
| 02/15/25 vs Center | 3 |
Despite their loss, Sierra Grande saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Rolando Najera, who went 6-for-13 to rack up 16 points in addition to seven boards and four steals, was perhaps the best of all. Najera is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed three or more in each of the last five games he's played. Martinez was another key player, putting up 11 points and six steals.
Meanwhile, Wiley posted their closest victory since January 24th on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 55-53 win over La Veta.
Wiley's win came from a few key players Sierra Grande will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was McDonald, who posted 24 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Milton Hernandez, who almost dropped a double-double with 16 points and nine boards.
Wiley has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 12-10 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.8 points over those games. Sierra Grande's defeat dropped their record down to 18-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sierra Grande has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 33.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Wiley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge on Friday.
Sierra Grande took their victory against Wiley when the teams last played back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 67-42. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Wiley's Evan Larrick, who shot 47% from the field en route to 24 points and six rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Sierra Grande to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
