Preview: Shishmaref Northern Lights vs. James C Isabell Aklaqs
Having just played yesterday, the Shishmaref Northern Lights will jump right back in to play the James C Isabell Aklaqs at 9:00 p.m. on Friday. Shishmaref has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.
Shishmaref scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They took down Anthony Andrews 78-63. The win was all the more spectacular given Shishmaref's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Alaska basketball rankings (they are ranked 56th, while Anthony Andrews is ranked eighth).
Among those leading the charge was Seth Nayokpuk, who scored 26 points. That's the first time this season that he scored 15 or more points. Colton Hadley was another key contributor, scoring 15 points.
Meanwhile, James C Isabell's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on January 6th after their fourth straight loss. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 64-63 to Gambell. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their last game on January 5th (59), James C Isabell still had to take the loss.
The victory got Shishmaref back to even at 4-4. As for James C Isabell, their loss was their fifth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 0-2.
Shishmaref skirted past James C Isabell 34-32 in their previous matchup back in March of 2023. Does Shishmaref have another victory up their sleeve, or will James C Isabell turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
