Preview: Burlington Cougars vs. Genoa-Hugo/Karval Pirates
The Burlington Cougars and the Genoa-Hugo/Karval Pirates will face off at 3:00 p.m. on January 19th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Burlington is looking to tack on another W to their five-game streak on the road dating back to last season.
Burlington can now show off four landslide victories after their most recent game on Saturday. They breezed by Calhan on the road to the tune of 56-19. Given Burlington's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 82nd, while Calhan is ranked 245th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Kiyarra Williams was her usual excellent self, scoring 21 points along with eight rebounds and seven steals. She has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Reagan Simpson, who scored nine points along with six assists and five rebounds.
Genoa-Hugo/Karval suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Saturday. They were outmatched by Merino at home and fell 55-18. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Genoa-Hugo/Karval has scored all season.
Despite the loss, Genoa-Hugo/Karval saw an underclassman step up: Rylee Corn scored eight points.
Burlington's victory bumped their record up to 6-3. As for Genoa-Hugo/Karval, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-6.
Friday's match is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Burlington have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 34.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Genoa-Hugo/Karval, though, as they've been averaging only 19.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Burlington against Genoa-Hugo/Karval in their previous meeting back in January of 2023 as the squad secured a 57-20 win. With Burlington ahead 39-7 at the half, the game was all but over already.
