Preview: Skyline Grizzlies vs. Blackfoot Broncos
Skyline is 2-8 against Blackfoot since February of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Skyline Grizzlies will be playing at home against the Blackfoot Broncos at 7:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Last Friday, Skyline didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Bonneville, but they still walked away with a 68-63 win. Given Skyline's advantage in MaxPreps' Idaho basketball rankings (they are ranked 18th, while Bonneville is ranked 66th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Skyline's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Shay Shippen, who dropped a double-double on 28 points and 17 rebounds. Shippen has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last four times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kysa Shippen, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Blackfoot posted their biggest victory yet this season on Friday. They really took it to Hillcrest for the full four quarters, racking up a 57-30 win on the road. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 31-11.
It was another big night for Marlee Pieper, who scored 26 points along with two steals. Another player making a difference was Kendylan Anderson, who scored eight points along with two steals.
Skyline is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season. As for Blackfoot, their win bumped their record up to 12-7.
Tuesday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Skyline have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 34.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Blackfoot struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 25.9 rebounds per game. Given Skyline's sizeable advantage in that area, Blackfoot will need to find a way to close that gap.
Skyline took their victory against Blackfoot when the teams last played on January 3rd by a conclusive 63-43. Will Skyline repeat their success, or does Blackfoot have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
