Basketball Game Preview: Russell Rustlers vs. Hellgate Knights

After both having extra time off, the Russell Rustlers and the Hellgate Knights will dust off their jerseys to take on one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Russell is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 64 points on December 14th, they were much more limited against Big Sky two weeks ago. They took a blow against the Eagles, falling 60-19. The loss was the Rustlers' first of the season.

Meanwhile, Hellgate earned a 54-41 victory over Great Falls two weeks ago.

Russell better keep an eye on Zane Gillhouse. He was instrumental in Hellgate's win, going 8 of 13 on his way to 18 points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Chance McNulty, who posted 11 points.

Hellgate now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Russell, their loss was their first of the season and also makes their record 2-1.

Russell barely slipped by Hellgate in their previous matchup back in March, winning 55-54. Will Russell repeat their success, or does Hellgate have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.