The Palisade Bulldogs and the Palmer Ridge Bears will compete for holiday cheer at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Palisade's tournament run continued when they took on Chaparral on Saturday. Palisade lost to Chaparral at home by a 51-37 margin. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 62nd, while the Wolverines are ranked 18th).
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Mady Bavor, who posted six points. Another player making a difference was Addie Ritterbush, who earned nine points.
Even though they lost, Palisade was working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Chaparral only racked up six assists.
Meanwhile, Palmer Ridge entered their tilt with The Classical Academy on Tuesday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They were the clear victor by a 50-25 margin over the Titans. The Bears have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 25 points or more this season.
Palisade better keep an eye on Addie Steenland. She was instrumental in Palmer Ridge's win, putting up 17 points and five steals. Steenland is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Taylor Peterson, who had ten points along with six boards and five steals.
Palmer Ridge pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 22.0 points per game. As for Palisade, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-3 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Palisade has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Palmer Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Palisade came up short against Palmer Ridge when the teams last played back in February of 2019, falling 33-28. Can Palisade avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
