There's no place like home for the Bella Vista Broncos, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road last Wednesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Antelope on Friday and snuck past 63-60. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
It was another big night for Damian Rickett, who shot 5-for-10 from beyond the arc and dropped a double-double on 41 points and 15 rebounds. He has been hot recently, having posted ten or more rebounds the last five times he's played. Another player making a difference was Mikey Simonyan, who scored 14 points.
Antelope's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Aj Cook, who scored 19 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Cook continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Jah'morris Shakur was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with two steals.
Even though they lost, Antelope were working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bella Vista only racked up six assists.
Bella Vista's victory bumped their record up to 10-14. As for Antelope, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 11-13.
Bella Vista will be playing in front of their home fans against the Timberwolves at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Woodcreek presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than the Broncos in California (the Timberwolves are ranked 103rd, while the Broncos are ranked 544th). As for Antelope, they will head out on the road to challenge the Honkers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Yuba City has now lost nine straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 30.
