The Pendleton Bulldogs will head out on the road to challenge the Blue Ridge Fighting Tigers at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Pendleton pushed their score all the way to 68 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 75-68 hit to the loss column at the hands of Walhalla. Pendleton has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Pendleton's loss came about despite a quality game from Luke Gray, who scored 37 points along with eight steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Gray has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Kory Jones, who scored 11 points.
Meanwhile, Blue Ridge pushed their score all the way to 55 on Thursday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell just short of Travelers Rest by a score of 57-55.
Blue Ridge might have lost, but man, Nash Somero was a machine: he scored 28 points. Somero hasn't dropped below 15 points for 14 straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Paul Bishop, who scored 12 points along with three steals.
Pendleton's loss dropped their record down to 14-12. As for Blue Ridge, their loss dropped their record down to 11-15.
Tuesday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Pendleton have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 37.3% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Blue Ridge struggles in that department as they've made 37.8% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Pendleton beat Blue Ridge 60-52 in their previous meeting back in November of 2017. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Blue Ridge's Shawn Stokes, who scored 32 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Pendleton to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
