The Challis Vikings will take on the Mackay Miners at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Challis is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 59.4 points per game this season.
Challis will head into Tuesday's game on the come-up: they were handed a 26-point defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Grace Lutheran, sneaking past 52-49.
Challis' victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ramey Rhoades, who posted 15 points and five boards. Another player making a difference was Brayden Ollar, who put up 13 points and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Mackay over American Heritage in every quarter on their way to victory on Tuesday. Mackay was the clear victor by a 46-25 margin over American Heritage.
Challis better keep an eye on Kaizer Summers. He was instrumental in Mackay's win, going 8 for 16 en route to 22 points along with seven boards and three steals. The contest was Summers' tenth in a row with at least ten points. Cooper Holt was another key player, putting up eight points and 11 rebounds.
Mackay smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive matchups.
Mackay's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-5. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.3 points per game. As for Challis, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a massive bump to their 9-8 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Challis has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Mackay struggles in that department as they've been averaging 35.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Challis ended up a good deal behind Mackay in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, losing 64-48. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Summers, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 12 boards. Now that Challis knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
