Preview: Elko Indians vs. Churchill County Greenwave
Elko has been on the road for five straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Churchill County Greenwave at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Elko focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 20 on Wednesday.
Elko suffered their closest defeat yet this season on Wednesday. They fell just short of Spring Creek by a score of 31-29.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Ecko Atkins, who scored ten points along with five rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points she has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Bryleigh Cervantes, who scored six points along with four steals.
Even though they lost, Elko smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Spring Creek only pulled down eight offensive rebounds.
Meanwhile, Churchill County can now show off eight landslide victories after their most recent match on Friday. They took their contest on the road with ease, bagging a 52-8 victory over Dayton. The victory was just what Churchill County needed coming off of a 77-23 defeat in their prior matchup.
Churchill County found their leader in underclassman Jada Anastasio, who scored 21 points along with five steals. That makes it four consecutive games in which Anastasio has scored at least a third of Churchill County's points. Zoey Jarrett was another key contributor, scoring five points along with seven steals.
Elko has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost seven of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-9 record this season. As for Churchill County, their win bumped their record up to 15-5.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Elko have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 38.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Churchill County struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 31.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Elko ended up a good deal behind Churchill County in their previous meeting on January 5th, losing 55-36. Will Elko have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other basketball content.