The Idalia Wolves will square off against the Stratton Eagles at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Idalia saw some tournament action on Saturday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 40-37 victory over Prairie.
Idalia's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Broderick Kite, who dropped a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Gabe Kechter, who posted eight points and nine boards.
Meanwhile, Stratton had already won 14 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.6 points) and they went ahead and made it 15 on Saturday. They were the clear victor by a 72-50 margin over the Longhorns. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 112th, while the Longhorns are ranked 274th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Stratton's win came from a few key players Idalia will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Von Isenbart, who went 8-for-15 en route to 21 points in addition to six boards and three blocks. The contest was his eighth in a row with at least 16 points. Ricky Schillig was another key player, putting up 15 points and five rebounds.
Stratton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in three consecutive games.
Stratton's win was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 18-5. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.6 points over those games. As for Idalia, their record is now 9-14.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Idalia has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Stratton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Idalia might still be hurting after the 60-37 defeat they got from Stratton when the teams last played two weeks ago. That match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Idalia was down 33-11.
