The Giltner Hornets will face off against the McCool Junction Mustangs on Friday. The timing isn't great for Giltner: they have been struggling with three straight losses at home, while McCool Junction has snatched up five consecutive wins on the road.
Last Friday, Giltner ended up a good deal behind Hampton and lost 60-44.
The losing side was boosted by Blaydon White, who posted 13 points and five steals. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 2.1 steals per game. Braxton Cady was another key player, dropping a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led McCool Junction over Dorchester in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that McCool Junction blew Dorchester out of the water with a 70-22 final score. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 25 points or more this season.
McCool Junction's win came from a few key players Giltner will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Bryson Plock, who earned eight points in addition to eight rebounds and four steals. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in boards. Another player making a difference was Ja Soukup, who went 5-for-7 to rack up 11 points.
McCool Junction has been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 13 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.0 points over those games. As for Giltner, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-15.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Giltner has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like McCool Junction struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Giltner was taken down by McCool Junction 72-33 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of McCool Junction's Carson Mcdonald, who went 9-for-12 on his way to 29 points and three steals. Now that Giltner knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
