Basketball Game Preview: Golden Sierra Grizzlies vs. Mesa Verde Mavericks

The Golden Sierra Grizzlies will challenge the Mesa Verde Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Golden Sierra has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.

Golden Sierra is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Woodland Christian on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Golden Sierra was outmatched by Woodland Christian and fell 94-67. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Friday (61), the Grizzlies still had to take the loss.

Despite their loss, Golden Sierra saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Bradley Dodson, who posted 18 points and five boards, was perhaps the best of all. With that strong performance, Dodson is now averaging an impressive 15.1 points per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Chris Goski, who went 6 for 8 en route to 13 points.

Even though they lost, Golden Sierra was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in February of 2024.

Meanwhile, Mesa Verde was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were six points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 48-42 heartbreaker at the hands of Rio Vista.

Golden Sierra has been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven games, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-9 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.1 points per game. As for Mesa Verde, their loss dropped their record down to 3-14.

Golden Sierra beat Mesa Verde 52-45 when the teams last played back in December of 2022. Will Golden Sierra repeat their success, or does Mesa Verde have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.