Basketball Game Preview: Pocatello Thunder vs. Bishop Kelly Knights

The Pocatello Thunder will take on the Bishop Kelly Knights at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Pocatello will be looking to extend their current nine-game winning streak.

Last Thursday, Pocatello didn't have too much trouble with Preston as they won 65-49. Given the Thunder's advantage in MaxPreps' Idaho basketball rankings (they are ranked eighth, while the Indians are ranked 57th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Pocatello can attribute much of their success to Kennasyn Garza, who went 11-for-14 en route to 26 points along with seven boards and six assists, and Abby Lusk, who went 8-for-15 on her way to 19 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals. With that strong performance, Garza is now averaging an impressive 15 points per game. Saige Hagler was another key player, putting up nine points.

They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: Pocatello was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in November of 2024.

Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 57-30, which was the final score in Bishop Kelly's tilt against Middleton last Wednesday. The Knights haven't had much luck with the Vikings recently, as the team has come up short the last nine times they've met.

Pocatello's victory was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 21-2. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.8 points over those games. As for Bishop Kelly, their defeat dropped their record down to 17-7.

Things could have been worse for Pocatello, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 51-33 loss to Bishop Kelly when the teams last played back in February of 2023. Can Pocatello avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.