Cottonwood has gone 8-2 against Hillcrest recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Cottonwood Colts will welcome the Hillcrest Huskies at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Having struggled with three defeats in a row, Cottonwood turned things around against Tooele on Tuesday. They took down the Buffaloes 65-50. Given the Colts' advantage in MaxPreps' Utah basketball rankings (they are ranked 30th, while the Buffaloes are ranked 121st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 01/07/25 @ Tooele | 22 |
| 12/31/24 @ Olympus | 20 |
| 12/30/24 vs Layton | 18 |
It was another big night for John Rosevear, who went 8 for 14 on his way to 22 points and six steals. His evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Luka Cecez, who went 6 of 9 on his way to 15 points in addition to six blocks and five boards.
Meanwhile, Hillcrest got the win against Jordan on Tuesday by a conclusive 71-51. The Huskies have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 20 points or more this season.
Hillcrest's win came from a few key players Cottonwood will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ezra Bell, who posted 12 points and five steals. Those five steals gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Anton Mahler, who put up 15 points and three steals.
Hillcrest was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matchups.
Hillcrest's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-4. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.6 points per game. As for Cottonwood, their win bumped their record up to 10-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Cottonwood has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Hillcrest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Cottonwood beat Hillcrest 59-51 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Does Cottonwood have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hillcrest turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
