The Rock Hills Grizzlies will face off against the Natoma Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Rock Hills has three straight victories, Natoma has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.
Last Friday, Rock Hills blew past Lakeside, posting a 61-18 win. The Grizzlies have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matchups by 23 points or more this season.
Rock Hills can attribute much of their success to Bethany Simmelink, who went 7 of 15 en route to 17 points along with seven rebounds and seven steals, and Halle Mizner, who went 8 for 17 to rack up 22 points and seven boards. Alivia Lindberg was another key player, putting up four points in addition to six boards and five steals.
Meanwhile, Natoma lost 67-41 to Osborne on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 343rd, while the Bulldogs are ranked 138th).
Despite the loss, Natoma saw an underclassman step up: freshman Lucy Alexander posted 15 points. Alexander is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was MaKayla Murphy, who scored seven points.
Even though they lost, Natoma was working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Rock Hills' victory bumped their record up to 13-3. As for Natoma, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-13.
Keep an eye on the arc in Tuesday's contest: Rock Hills has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 35.6% of their three-pointers per game. It's a different story for Natoma, though, as they've only made 26.6% of their threes this season. Given Rock Hills' sizable advantage in that area, Natoma will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Rock Hills against Natoma in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, as the squad secured a 52-16 win. Will Rock Hills repeat their success, or does Natoma have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
