Collinsville is 0-7 against Bishop Kelley since December of 2021 but things could change on Friday. After both having extra time off, the two teams will shake off the cobwebs and take on one another at 3:00 p.m.
Collinsville is headed into Friday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game last Friday. They came up short against Glenpool, falling 55-33. The Cardinals were down 52-22 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Collinsville's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Kate Reid, who went 6 for 14 on her way to 14 points, and Anna Appelberg, who posted seven points and five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Collinsville smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Glenpool only pulled down four offensive rebounds.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Bishop Kelley). They blew past Guthrie 68-12 last Friday. The Comets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 32 points or more this season.
Bishop Kelley's win came from a few key players Collinsville will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Anne Blankenship, who went 8 of 11 on her way to 17 points in addition to seven assists and seven boards. She has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 30 times she's played. Another player making a difference was Kennedy Wray, who went 5 of 10 on her way to 12 points in addition to three steals and three blocks.
The win got Bishop Kelley back to even at 4-4. As for Collinsville, they now have a losing record at 3-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Collinsville has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Bishop Kelley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Collinsville and Bishop Kelley were neck-and-neck in their previous meeting back in January, but Collinsville came up empty-handed after a 42-41 defeat. Can Collinsville avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
