Salisbury Elk Lick has been on the road for three straight, but on Tuesday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Rockwood Rockets at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Salisbury Elk Lick will be strutting in after a win while Rockwood will be coming in after a loss.
Even though Salisbury Elk Lick has not done well against Turkeyfoot Valley Area recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Salisbury Elk Lick narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Turkeyfoot Valley Area 54-52. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win Salisbury Elk Lick has posted yet this season.
Salisbury Elk Lick found their leader in underclassman Lance Jones, who scored 28 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Jones hasn't dropped below two steals for three straight games. Walker Bunnell was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with 15 rebounds.
Meanwhile, this season hasn't been kind to Rockwood, who are still winless after their tenth contest. They were dealt a 76-32 defeat at the hands of North Star on Thursday. Rockwood was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 53-12.
Despite their loss, Rockwood saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Isaac Adams, who scored eight points along with five rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Zander Ritenour, who scored eight points along with eight rebounds and five assists.
Rockwood struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as North Star pulled down 15 offensive rebounds.
Salisbury Elk Lick is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season. As for Rockwood, their loss was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 0-10.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Salisbury Elk Lick have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 31.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Rockwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 16.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Salisbury Elk Lick against Rockwood when the teams last played back in December of 2023 as the team secured a 67-38 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Rockwood's Riley Fazenbaker, who scored 18 points along with eight rebounds and two blocks. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Salisbury Elk Lick still be able to contain him? There's only one way to find out.
