Two dominant guards in Skylie Barker and Kya Newton are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Copper Hills Grizzlies will face off against the Mountain Ridge Sentinels at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Copper Hills will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
Copper Hills had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They claimed a resounding 69-21 victory over Weber at home. Copper Hills has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 13 matchups by 22 points or more this season.
Copper Hills' success was spearheaded by the efforts of Barker, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds and three blocks, and Ellie Taylor, who scored 18 points along with eight rebounds and six assists. Barker is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 16 or more in the last seven games she's played. Ayla Marston was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Mountain Ridge faced Bingham in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Mountain Ridge skirted past Bingham 58-55. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Mountain Ridge can attribute much of their success to Jessica Maynard, who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds and six assists, and Newton, who scored 16 points along with six assists and three steals. Newton 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 Kallee Olson, who scored eight points along with two steals.
Copper Hills pushed their record up to 23-1 with that win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Mountain Ridge, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-9 record this season.
Monday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Copper Hills have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 44.7% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Mountain Ridge struggles in that department as they've made 41.5% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Copper Hills against Mountain Ridge when the teams last played on February 6th as the team secured a 71-42 win. Does Copper Hills have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mountain Ridge turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
