The Big Sandy Pioneers had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. They snuck past Box Elder with a 59-53 win. Given Big Sandy's advantage in MaxPreps' Montana basketball rankings (they are ranked 14th, while Box Elder is ranked 96th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Big Sandy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kiera Galbavy led the charge by dropping a double-double on 14 points and 13 rebounds. Galbavy is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last four games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Eva Yeadon, who scored 14 points along with eight rebounds.
Despite the loss, Box Elder saw an underclassman step up: Martay Rosette scored 17 points along with six rebounds and two blocks. Rosette continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Ariel Gopher was another key contributor, scoring 12 points.
Even though they lost, Box Elder were working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Big Sandy pushed their record up to 9-1 with that victory, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Box Elder, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-7.
Big Sandy will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Box Elder at 6:00 p.m. on February 10th. As for Box Elder, they will head out on the road to face off against Fort Benton/Highwood at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
