Basketball Recap: Hillcrest Picks Up Sixth Consecutive Victory

Hillcrest waltzed into their match on Wednesday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 64-62 win over the Shelley Russets. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Idaho basketball rankings (they are ranked 17th, while the Russets are ranked 85th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Hillcrest's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Titan Larsen, who went 7 for 12 en route to 16 points. The contest was Larsen's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Gage Blakeslee, who posted 13 points along with seven assists and five boards.

Hillcrest has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.8 points per game. As for Shelley, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 5-10.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Hillcrest will challenge Blackfoot at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are headed into the matchup with plenty of momentum (Hillcrest has won 13 straight at home dating back to last season, while Blackfoot won three straight on the road), something that'll have to change. As for Shelley, they will square off against Idaho Falls at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.