Shelby has gone a perfect 10-0 against Burns recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. The Shelby Golden Lions will be playing in front of their home fans against the Burns Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Last Friday, Shelby ended up a good deal behind Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy and lost 63-47. The Golden Lions have struggled against the Gryphons recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Jamiah Hopper
| 02/21/25 vs Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy | 13 |
| 01/22/25 @ East Rutherford | 12 |
| 12/18/24 vs East Rutherford | 12 |
| 11/29/24 @ West Charlotte | 11 |
| 01/31/25 @ Highland Tech | 10 |
Shelby's defeat came about despite a quality game from Jamiah Hopper, who dropped a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Those 13 boards gave Hopper a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Kimari Tate, who posted seven points and nine rebounds.
Even though they lost, Shelby smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Burns was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 57-51 to Shelby.
Shelby will need to focus on slowing down Kaylee Greene, one of several Burns players who made an impact when they last played. She earned 17 points and four steals. Greene is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in each of the last 25 games she's played. Another player making a difference was Grace Hodge, who dropped a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.
Shelby's loss dropped their record down to 18-9. As for Burns, they dropped their record down to 16-10 with the defeat, which was their third straight on the road.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Shelby has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 27.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Burns struggles in that department as they've been averaging 37.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Shelby didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Burns in their previous meeting on Tuesday, but they still walked away with a 57-51 win. Will Shelby repeat their success, or does Burns have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
