Preview: Bancroft-Rosalie Panthers vs. Fort Calhoun Pioneers
The Bancroft-Rosalie Panthers will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against the Fort Calhoun Pioneers on December 16th. Fort Calhoun took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Bancroft-Rosalie, who comes in off a win.
Bancroft-Rosalie has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three games by 24 points or more this season. They simply couldn't be stopped on Tuesday as they easily beat Walthill 77-44 on the road. With Bancroft-Rosalie ahead 42-17 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
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. James is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Kenidee McClain was another key contributor, scoring six points along with nine rebounds and seven steals.
Meanwhile, Fort Calhoun came up short against Yutan on Tuesday and fell 46-39. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Fort Calhoun in their matchups with Yutan: they've now lost eight in a row.
Fort Calhoun's loss came about despite a quality game from 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 get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Bancroft-Rosalie pushed their record up to 5-0 with that victory, which was their third straight on the road. They've been dominating during the matchups in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 33.33 points. As for Fort Calhoun, their loss dropped their record down to 2-2.
Keep an eye on the arc in Saturday's match: Bancroft-Rosalie have been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 41.6% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Fort Calhoun, though, as they've only made 34% of their threes per game this season. Given Bancroft-Rosalie's sizeable advantage in that area, Fort Calhoun will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Bancroft-Rosalie against Fort Calhoun in their previous matchup back in December of 2022 as the squad secured a 60-26 victory. With Bancroft-Rosalie ahead 35-13 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
