Basketball Game Preview: Okawville Rockets vs. Sandoval Blackhawks

The Okawville Rockets will challenge the Sandoval Blackhawks at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Okawville is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Dupo 51-19. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 40-12.

Kenley Hackstadt

Points

02/17/25 @ Dupo	14
02/13/25 @ Wesclin	13
02/12/25 vs Nashville	3
02/10/25 vs Breese Central	1
02/08/25 vs Pinckneyville	16
+ 24 more games

Okawville found their leader in sophomore Kenley Hackstadt, who posted 14 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Hackstadt continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Schae Juenger also deserves some recognition as she posted her first block of the season.

Meanwhile, Sandoval waltzed into their matchup on Monday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came out on top against the Lions by a score of 37-30.

Sandoval's win came from a few key players Okawville will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Amiya Ray, who almost dropped a double-double with 13 points and nine boards. That makes it seven consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Sandoval's points. Another player making a difference was Maddie Starr, who earned four points and five assists.

The win made it two in a row for Okawville and bumps their season record up to 19-11. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 20.0 points over those games. As for Sandoval, their victory bumped their record up to 19-10.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Okawville has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 23.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Sandoval struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.9 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Everything came up roses for Okawville against Sandoval in their previous meeting back in November of 2015, as the squad secured a 60-16 win. Does Okawville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Sandoval turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.