Kearns and Hunter are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2020, but not for long. The Kearns Cougars will take on the Hunter Wolverines at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Kearns will be strutting in after a win while Hunter will be coming in after a defeat.
Kearns will head into Tuesday's match on the come-up: they were handed a 26-point loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Cyprus 34-31. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Cougars have posted against the Pirates since February 11, 2021.
Kearns' success was spearheaded by the efforts of Lindsey Tafili, who posted nine points, and Marie Angilau-Lea, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 11 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Leila Fowler, who scored seven points in addition to five boards and three steals.
Kearns 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 nine offensive rebounds in 14 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Hunter unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Tuesday. The contest between them and West Jordan didn't end well, with Hunter falling 58-41.
Kearns will have to keep a close watch on Mamakoula Tuitupou-Kutu and Grace Gallagher, a pair of players who had a big impact on Hunter's prior game. Tuitupou-Kutu dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Gallagher dropped a double-double on 17 points and 15 boards. That was a full 41.5% of Hunter's points, marking the third time in a row she's put up more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Kiana Pauni, who had no points along with nine rebounds and six assists.
Hunter's defeat was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 6-11. As for Kearns, their victory bumped their record up to 7-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Kearns has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Hunter struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Kearns beat Hunter 64-57 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Gallagher, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 20 boards. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Kearns still be able to contain Gallagher? There's only one way to find out.
