Preview: Crosby-Ironton Rangers vs. Staples-Motley Cardinals
Crosby-Ironton is 9-1 against Staples-Motley since January of 2020, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Crosby-Ironton Rangers will face off against the Staples-Motley Cardinals at 5:30 p.m. Crosby-Ironton knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past nine matchups -- so hopefully Staples-Motley likes a good challenge.
Crosby-Ironton had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They blew past Mesabi East, posting a 87-48 win at home. Crosby-Ironton has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 14 matches by 20 points or more this season.
Crosby-Ironton's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was James Stokman, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and ten assists. Another player making a difference was Noah Larson, who scored 21 points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, Staples-Motley scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Monday. They put the hurt on Pierz with a sharp 85-61 victory. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Crosby-Ironton pushed their record up to 22-5 with that win, which was their third straight at home. They've been dominating during the matches in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 37.3 points. As for Staples-Motley, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-12 record this season.
Everything went Crosby-Ironton's way against Staples-Motley in their previous meeting two weeks ago as Crosby-Ironton made off with a 91-67 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Crosby-Ironton since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
