Preview: Rocky Mountain Grizzlies vs. Middleton Vikings
Rocky Mountain and Middleton are an even 3-3 against one another since November of 2014, but not for long. The Rocky Mountain Grizzlies will head out on the road to take on the Middleton Vikings at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Rocky Mountain is looking to tack on another W to their three-game streak on the road.
Last Thursday, Rocky Mountain faced Boise in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Rocky Mountain took a 55-36 bruising from Boise. Rocky Mountain has struggled against Boise recently, as their game on Thursday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Rocky Mountain's defeat came about despite a quality game from Anna Dabell, who scored 12 points along with eight rebounds and two blocks. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Dabell has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Cianna Legaspi, who scored eight points along with two blocks.
Meanwhile, Middleton waltzed into their game on Tuesday with eight straight wins but they left with nine. They slipped by Borah 51-50.
Zoey Blackwell continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 20 points along with eight steals and six rebounds. She has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last eight times she's played. Aysha Fried was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with two blocks.
Rocky Mountain's loss dropped their record down to 12-4. As for Middleton, they are on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-3 record this season.
Tuesday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant players against one another: Logan Sailors and Blackwell. Sailors has been dynamite this season: she has averaged 11.9 points, 1.5 steals, and 2.9 rebounds. For her part, Blackwell has averaged 14.1 points and 4.3 steals.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Rocky Mountain have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 24.7 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Middleton, though, as they've been averaging only 26.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
