The Shaker Bison will venture away from home to face off against the Niskayuna Silver Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Shaker is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last 12 games.
Shaker is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New York's top teams: Shenendehowa, who was ranked 25th at the time (Shaker was ranked fourth). Shaker escaped with a win on Tuesday against Shenendehowa by the margin of a single free throw, 55-54.
Shaker's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Sofia Lanni led the charge by going 7 of 10 on her way to 17 points and three steals. Malia Jackson was another key player, going 6 for 9 en route to 12 points and eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Niskayuna, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They walked away with a 49-37 victory over Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake on Saturday.
Niskayuna found their leader in sophomore Skye Linyear, who went 8 of 17 on her way to 21 points in addition to eight boards and three steals. The contest was Linyear's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Ciarra Gonzalez, who posted ten points and eight rebounds.
Shaker's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-2. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 11.5 points across that stretch. As for Niskayuna, their victory bumped their record up to 10-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Shaker has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 35.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Niskayuna struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Shaker was able to grind out a solid win over Niskayuna when the teams last played back in February of 2024, winning 57-47. The rematch might be a little tougher for Shaker since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
