The Natoma Tigers will venture away from home to challenge the Rock Hills Grizzlies at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Natoma has struggled recently with five losses in a row, while Rock Hills will arrive with three straight wins.
Natoma came up short against Osborne on Friday, falling 67-41. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 343rd, while the Bulldogs are ranked 138th).
Lucy Alexander
| 02/07/25 vs Osborne | 2 |
| 02/04/25 vs Pike Valley | 2 |
| 01/31/25 @ Lincoln | 2 |
Despite the defeat, Natoma saw an underclassman step up: freshman Lucy Alexander posted 15 points. Alexander is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last three games she's played. MaKayla Murphy was another key player, putting up seven points.
Even though they lost, Natoma was working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since the start of last season.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Rock Hills against Lakeside on Friday as the team secured a 61-18 victory. The Grizzlies have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 23 points or more this season.
Natoma better focus on containing Bethany Simmelink and Halle Mizner as the pair were huge in Rock Hills' win. Simmelink went 7 for 15 to rack up 17 points in addition to seven boards and seven steals, while Mizner went 8 of 17 on her way to 22 points and seven rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Alivia Lindberg, who put up four points along with six rebounds and five steals.
Natoma's loss dropped their record down to 2-13. As for Rock Hills, their win bumped their record up to 13-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Natoma has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 26.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Rock Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Natoma was dealt a bruising 52-16 defeat at the hands of Rock Hills in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Can Natoma avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
