Basketball Game Preview: Shamrock Irish vs. Hedley Owls

Shamrock is 9-1 against Hedley since February of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Irish will be home for the holidays to greet the Owls at 6:00 p.m. Shamrock has given up an average of 54.2 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Shamrock is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against McLean on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Irish were dealt a 75-35 defeat at the hands of the Tigers. The loss continues a trend for the Irish in their meetings with the Tigers: they've now lost four in a row.

Kyle Ishee

Steals

12/16/25 @ McLean	2
12/13/25 vs Wildorado	2
12/12/25 vs Darrouzett	4
12/11/25 vs Holy Cross Catholic Academy	2
12/06/25 vs Darrouzett	3
+ 4 more games

Kyle Ishee put forth a good effort for the losing side as he went 5-for-9 en route to 12 points and eight boards. He is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in each of the last nine games he's played. Another player making a difference was Gio Lopez, who posted five points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Hedley's game on Tuesday was all tied up 23-23 at the half, but sadly for them it didn't stay that way. They fell 50-39 to Lefors. While the Owls didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Pirates 15-7 in the first quarter.

Shamrock will need to focus on slowing down Payton Inman, one of several Hedley players who made an impact when they last played. He shot 53% from the field on his way to 20 points and six steals. That was a full 51.3% of Hedley's points, marking the fourth time in a row Inman has had more than a third of the team's points. Paeton Glover was another key player, dropping a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Hedley's defeat dropped their record down to 2-8. As for Shamrock, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 2-8.

Everything came up roses for Shamrock against Hedley when the teams last played back in January, as the squad secured a 59-28 win. In that matchup, the Irish amassed a halftime lead of 29-9, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.