Basketball Recap: Abel Koski Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Elma

While Kalama didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They managed a 57-53 victory over the Elma Eagles on Saturday. That result was just more of the same for these two, as the Chinooks also won the last time the pair played back in February of 2015.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Kalama to victory, but perhaps none more so than Abel Koski, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine rebounds. Koski is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last eight games he's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Drew Schlangen, who went 5 of 9 en route to 12 points along with eight boards and three steals.

Kalama smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in six consecutive matches.

Isaac McGaffey and Traden Carter certainly did their best on Saturday to avoid the loss. McGaffey dropped a double-double on 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Carter went 7 of 14 on his way to 17 points and seven rebounds. McGaffey continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played.

Kalama pushed their record up to 5-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.8 points per game. As for Elma, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 6-3.

Kalama didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 75-68 victory against Morton/White Pass on the 30th. As for Elma, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 62-29 win against Rochester on the 3rd.