Basalt is 2-8 against Aspen since February of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Basalt Longhorns will look to defend their home court against the Aspen Skiers at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Saturday, Basalt was able to grind out a solid victory over Rifle, taking the game 73-66. The win continues a trend for the Longhorns in their matchups with the Bears: they've now won seven in a row.
Luke Williams
| 02/15/25 @ Rifle | 31 |
| 01/10/25 vs Moffat County | 27 |
| 01/21/25 @ Delta | 20 |
| 12/05/24 vs Grand Valley | 17 |
| 02/07/25 @ Steamboat Springs | 16 |
| + 14 more games |
Basalt got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Luke Williams out in front who went 10-for-17 en route to 31 points. Williams has become a key player for Basalt: the team is 4-2 when he posts at least 15 points, but 5-8 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Taylor Hays, who dropped a double-double with 20 points and ten boards.
Basalt smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Rifle only four offensive rebounds.
Meanwhile, Aspen came tearing into Tuesday's game with 11 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 19.2 points), and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Panthers by a score of 67-59. Given the Skiers' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 38th, while the Panthers are ranked 175th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Aspen's win came from a few key players Basalt will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Tommy Franceschi, who posted 18 points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Balko, who dropped a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.
Aspen's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-3. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.7 points over those games. As for Basalt, their victory bumped their record up to 9-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Basalt has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Aspen struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.7 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Basalt ended up a good deal behind Aspen in their previous meeting back in January, losing 56-41. Will Basalt have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
