The Mackay Miners were the 61-55 winner over the North Gem Cowboys when they last played one another back in January, but their luck changed this time around. Mackay was outmatched by North Gem on the road and fell 61-34. Mackay was down 58-24 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Mackay's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ruger Nicholls, who scored eight points along with six rebounds and two steals. Kaizer Summers was another key contributor, scoring five points.
Mackay struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
North Gem's win on Friday was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Evan O'Brien, who scored 18 points along with eight rebounds. O'Brien is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Rusty Hatch, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds.
Mackay now has a losing record at 10-11. As for North Gem, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 15-7.
Mackay will be playing at home against Sho-Ban at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Idaho (Mackay is ranked 131st, while Sho-Ban is ranked 139th). As for North Gem, they will head out on the road to challenge Watersprings at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. North Gem is also coming in off of a big victory, so somebody is in for a big reversal of fortune.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
