Basketball Game Preview: Newport - Bellevue Knights vs. Sammamish RedHawks

The Newport - Bellevue Knights will venture away from home to face off against the Sammamish RedHawks at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

Newport - Bellevue is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They came up short against North Creek on Wednesday, falling 75-54. The game was up for grabs at halftime, but sadly the Knights struggled afterwards.

Portia Polo put forth a good effort for the losing side as she went 7 for 17 on her way to 18 points in addition to eight rebounds and six assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Payton Knopf, who posted ten points.

Meanwhile, Sammamish ended up a good deal behind Inglemoor on Wednesday and lost 46-30. The RedHawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Despite the loss, Sammamish saw an underclassman step up: freshman Cerise Boyer put up eight points and eight rebounds. Another player making a difference was Sophia Eastman, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine boards.

Sammamish's defeat dropped their record down to 2-6. As for Newport - Bellevue, their loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 4-8.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Newport - Bellevue has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Sammamish struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Everything came up roses for Newport - Bellevue against Sammamish in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, as the squad secured a 73-30 win. In that match, Newport - Bellevue amassed a halftime lead of 40-7, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.