Recap: Caldwell Bluejays vs. Central Raiders
This season hasn't been kind to the Caldwell Bluejays, who are still winless after their ninth game. They fell to Central 36-31. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Caldwell in their matchups with Central: they've now lost eight in a row.
Despite the loss, Caldwell saw an underclassman step up: Ella Risley scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and six steals. That was a full 48.4% of Caldwell's points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Bree Strecansky, who scored two points.
Even though they lost, Caldwell smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. This was only their sixth loss (out of six games) when they hit their own glass that hard.
Caldwell bumped their record down to 0-9 with that loss, which was their tenth straight on the road. Those losses could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 22.2 points per game. As for Central, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 3-6.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Caldwell will be staying on the road on Monday to face off against Bluestem on January 22nd. Bluestem presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Caldwell in Kansas (Bluestem is ranked 120th, while Caldwell is ranked 346th). As for Central, they will head out on the road to face off against South Haven on Monday. South Haven is coming into the match hot, having won their last three games.
