Rich is 0-9 against North Summit since December of 2014 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. After both having extra time off, the pair will dust off their jerseys to square off against one another at 4:00 p.m. on December 28th. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Rich scored the most points they've had all season to find success last Thursday. They managed a 57-51 win over Cokeville. The victory was all the more spectacular given Rich's disadvantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 60th in Utah, while Cokeville is ranked fourth in Wyoming).
Braylyn Pugmire and Violett Taylor were among the main playmakers for Rich as the former scored 17 points along with seven rebounds and the latter scored 19 points along with seven rebounds. Those 19 points set a new season-high mark for her. Another player making a difference was Molly Weston, who scored nine points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, winning is just a little bit easier when your three-point shooting is a whole 25% better than the opposition, a fact North Summit proved last Saturday. They came out on top against Juab by a score of 55-44.
North Summit got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Chezlie Langston out in front who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 15 rebounds. The game was Langston's tenth in a row with at least ten points. Hartlynn Richins was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Rich's victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-3. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.7 points per game. North Summit's record is now 9-1.
Thursday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Rich have been dynamite from deep this season, having only nailed 33.3% of their threes per game. However, it's not like North Summit struggles in that department as they've made 43.8% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Rich came up short against North Summit when the teams last played back in December of 2022, falling 52-39. Can Rich avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
