Preview: Udall Eagles vs. Caldwell Bluejays
Udall has been on the road for four straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Caldwell Bluejays at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Udall focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 on Tuesday.
Last Tuesday, Udall really took it to Oxford for the full four quarters, racking up a 54-27 victory on the road. That 27 point margin sets a new team best for Udall this season.
Udall found their leader in underclassman Lilly Hoffman, who scored 20 points along with eight steals. That makes it six consecutive games in which Hoffman has scored at least a third of Udall's points. Emma Alberts was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Caldwell's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their fifth straight loss. They took a 40-31 hit to the loss column at the hands of Argonia. Caldwell has struggled against Argonia recently, as their contest on Tuesday was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.
Caldwell's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Ella Risley, who scored ten points along with six rebounds and two steals, and Ava Newell who scored nine points along with six rebounds. Newell continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played.
Udall pushed their record up to 8-11 with that win, which was their third straight on the road. As for Caldwell, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-16.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Udall have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 20.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Caldwell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went Udall's way against Caldwell when the teams last played back in December of 2023 as Udall made off with a 51-30 win. Will Udall repeat their success, or does Caldwell have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
