Preview: Erie Tigers vs. Bear Creek Bears
Erie has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Bear Creek Bears at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Erie is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Bear Creek in Colorado (Erie is ranked 15th, while Bear Creek is ranked 141st).
Last Saturday, Erie came up short against Mead and fell 55-44. The loss was Erie's first of the season.
Despite their defeat, Erie saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Maddie Hartel, who scored 12 points, was perhaps the best of all. Hartel scored a full 27.3% of Erie's points, the second time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Juliet Slater was another key contributor, scoring 12 points.
Meanwhile, after only 25 points in their last matchup, Bear Creek made sure to put some points up on the board against Adams City on Saturday. Bear Creek really took it to Adams City for the full four quarters, racking up a 63-31 win at home. With that victory, Bear Creek brought their scoring average up to 52.7 points per game.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Bear Creek to victory, but perhaps none more so than Rachel Vasey, who scored 15 points along with 8 rebounds. Vasey is absolutely dominating the rebound category: she's posted at least eight every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Samantha Johnson, who scored 6 points along with 6 steals and 5 assists.
Their wins bumped Erie to 4-1 and Mead to 4-1.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Erie hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 50 points per game. It's a different story for Bear Creek, though, as they've been averaging only 52.7 per game. The only thing between Erie and another offensive beatdown is Bear Creek. Will they be able to keep them contained? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
Erie strolled past Bear Creek in their previous matchup back in December of 2022 by a score of 58-44. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Bear Creek's Tania Hodge, who scored 13 points along with 8 steals and 5 assists. Now that she won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Erie to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
