The Hillcrest Knights had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 28 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Saturday. They were the clear victor by a 76-54 margin over Shelley. Given Hillcrest's advantage in MaxPreps' Idaho basketball rankings (they are ranked 13th, while Shelley is ranked 83rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hillcrest got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Ike Sutton out in front who scored 19 points along with six assists. Sutton is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last six games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Talan Taylor, who scored 18 points.
Hillcrest's victory was their 15th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-6. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.7 points per game. As for Shelley, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-9.
Hillcrest will be playing in front of their home fans against Preston at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Preston is coming into the match hot, having won their last eight games. As for Shelley, they will head out on the road to challenge Century at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Century is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.
