Preview: Neah Bay Red Devils vs. Curlew Cougars
Two dominant guards in Ryana Moss and Emma Lena Baker are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Neah Bay Red Devils will face off against the Curlew Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Neah Bay will be looking to extend their current 13-game winning streak.
Neah Bay stacked an 18th blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Saturday. They breezed by Mount Vernon Christian at home to the tune of 61-30. Neah Bay's win was all the more impressive since Mount Vernon Christian was averaging only 29.35 points allowed on the season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Neah Bay to victory, but perhaps none more so than Amber Swan, who scored 14 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. Swan hasn't dropped below two steals for six straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Moss, who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Curlew's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They fell 46-36 to Almira-Coulee-Hartline.
Curlew's loss came about despite a quality game from Baker, who almost dropped a double-double on 20 points and nine rebounds. That was a full 55.6% of Curlew's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Ciana Patterson was another key contributor, scoring four points.
Neah Bay's win was their 22nd straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-2. They've been dominating during the contests in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 37 points. As for Curlew, their loss dropped their record down to 20-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Neah Bay have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Curlew struggles in that department as they've been averaging 37 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Neah Bay couldn't quite finish off Curlew in their previous meeting back in March of 2020 and fell 55-53. Thankfully for Neah Bay, Korin Baker (who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 16 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
