Basketball Game Preview: Grace Lutheran Royals vs. Challis Vikings

The Grace Lutheran Royals will face off against the Challis Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Grace Lutheran has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Last Thursday, Grace Lutheran took their match with ease, bagging a 65-30 victory over Clark County. The Royals have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four games by 22 points or more this season.

Grace Lutheran can attribute much of their success to Garrett Grayson, who almost dropped a double-double on 22 points and nine boards, and Ethan Flicker, who went 8 for 12 en route to 16 points and seven rebounds. Flicker is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. Jaxon Miller was another key player, putting up seven points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Challis unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Saturday. They came up short against Butte County, falling 75-49. The Vikings were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 45-24.

Grace Lutheran will have to contain Brayden Ollar as he made an impact in Challis' last game. He almost dropped a double-double on 22 points and nine rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Ramey Rhoades, who posted 11 points.

Grace Lutheran's win bumped their record up to 8-4. As for Challis, their loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-8.

Grace Lutheran was taken down by Challis 54-20 when the teams last played back in December of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Ollar, who had 18 points along with five boards and five steals. Now that Grace Lutheran knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.