The Lewiston Bengals were the 52-48 winner over the Grangeville Bulldogs when they last played one another back in December of 2021, but their luck changed this time around. Lewiston fell just short of Grangeville by a score of 54-52. While losing is never fun, Lewiston can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Idaho basketball rankings (they are ranked 69th, while Grangeville is ranked ninth).
Grangeville's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Madalyn Green led the charge by scoring 17 points along with seven rebounds and four blocks. The match was Green's ninth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Mattie Thacker, who scored 17 points along with five rebounds and five steals.
Lewiston has not been sharp recently, as they've lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-8 record this season. As for Grangeville, their win bumped their record up to 8-1.
Lewiston will be playing in front of their home fans against Sandpoint at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Sandpoint has five straight victories, Lewiston has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field. Grangeville won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Moscow at 4:30 p.m. on December 29, 2023. Moscow is looking to tack on another W to their three-game streak on the road.
