Preview: Fort Calhoun Pioneers vs. Bancroft-Rosalie Panthers
The Fort Calhoun Pioneers will be home for the holidays to greet the Bancroft-Rosalie Panthers on Saturday. Hopefully Fort Calhoun focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 26 on Tuesday.
Last Tuesday, Fort Calhoun came up short against Yutan and fell 46-39. Fort Calhoun has struggled against Yutan recently, as their game on Tuesday was their eighth consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the defeat, Fort Calhoun got a solid performance out of Bria Bench, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Ella Bouwman, who scored seven points along with five rebounds.
Fort Calhoun struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Bancroft-Rosalie put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Walthill 77-44 on the road. Bancroft-Rosalie's offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Bancroft-Rosalie's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Samryn Dick, who scored 14 points along with six steals and five rebounds, and Addison James, who scored 21 points along with three steals. Those six steals set a new season-high mark for her. Another player making a difference was Kenidee McClain, who scored six points along with nine rebounds and seven steals.
Fort Calhoun's defeat dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Bancroft-Rosalie, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-0.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Fort Calhoun have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 33.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Bancroft-Rosalie struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 36 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Fort Calhoun took a serious blow against Bancroft-Rosalie when the teams last played back in December of 2022, falling 60-26. Thankfully for Fort Calhoun, Isabella Bonneau (who scored eight points along with five assists and five rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
