Rancho is 4-0 against Western since December of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Rancho Rams' homestand continues as they prepare to take on the Western Warriors at 5:00 p.m. on January 18th. Rancho will be strutting in after a win while Western will be coming in after a loss.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up 14 more assists than your opponent, a fact Rancho proved on Tuesday. They strolled past Silverado with points to spare, taking the game 54-36.
Claudia Vargas-Arellano and Taylor Dagons were among the main playmakers for Rancho as the former scored 17 points along with six assists and six rebounds and the latter scored 22 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. Vargas-Arellano is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Crystal Padilla, who scored four points.
Meanwhile, Western's recent rough patch got a bit rougher last Tuesday after their eighth straight loss. They took a 49-38 hit to the loss column at the hands of Sierra Vista.
Despite their loss, Western saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Laila Lwaba, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds and six steals, was perhaps the best of all. That was a full 34.2% of Western's points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Qaaima Taylor, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds.
Even though they lost, Western smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 25 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Rancho is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. As for Western, their defeat was their fourth straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 3-10.
Thursday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Rancho have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 34.5 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Western, though, as they've been averaging only 28.6 rebounds per game. Given Rancho's sizeable advantage in that area, Western will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Rancho against Western when the teams last played back in December of 2023 as the squad secured a 58-30 win. With Rancho ahead 33-13 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
