Basketball Game Preview: Nampa Bulldogs vs. Middleton Vikings

By Team Reports Jan 8, 2025, 10:34pm

Basketball Preview: Nampa Bulldogs vs. Middleton Vikings

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Nampa hasn't had much luck against Middleton recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Nampa Bulldogs will face off against the Middleton Vikings at 7:30 p.m.

Nampa is headed into Thursday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game on Tuesday. They had to suffer through a 56-26 loss at the hands of Columbia.

Meanwhile, Middleton entered their tilt with Emmett on Tuesday with seven consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with eight. They took their game with ease, bagging a 70-23 victory over the Huskies. The Vikings have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matchups by 24 points or more this season.

Middleton's win came from a few key players Nampa will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Zoey Blackwell, who posted nine points and eight assists. That's the most assists she has posted since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Olivia Blackwell, who went 6 of 12 on her way to 14 points and four steals.

Middleton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in eight consecutive contests.

Middleton pushed their record up to 12-1 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.5 points per game. As for Nampa, their loss dropped their record down to 1-11.

Nampa took a serious blow against Middleton in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, falling 62-4. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Blackwell, who went 8 of 10 on her way to 16 points along with six steals and five boards. Now that Nampa knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.

Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps