Basketball Game Preview: Balko/Forgan vs. Canton Tigers

Balko/Forgan will challenge the Canton Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Balko/Forgan sitting on four straight wins and Canton on five.

Balko/Forgan is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They blew past Boise City 49-27. Balko/Forgan has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine games by 20 points or more this season.

Brya Appelhans

Steals

02/15/25 vs Boise City	2
02/13/25 vs Goodwell	2
02/08/25 vs Granite	2
02/06/25 vs Moscow	2

Balko/Forgan's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Brya Appelhans, who went 5-for-10 on her way to 11 points and five boards. Appelhans has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Haylee Pearson, who posted seven points and five steals.

Balko/Forgan smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Canton was able to grind out a solid win over Waynoka on Saturday, taking the game 40-28. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Oklahoma basketball rankings (they are ranked 107th, while the Railroaders are ranked 298th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Balko/Forgan's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-6. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.1 points over those games. As for Canton, their win bumped their record up to 19-4.