The Silver Lake Mustangs will head out on the road to face off against the Kenesaw Blue Devils at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Silver Lake has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Silver Lake has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matches by 27 points or more this season. They breezed by Gibbon on the road to the tune of 59-15. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 34-5.
Silver Lake found their leader in underclassman Sophie Schmidt, who scored 14 points along with nine steals. Those nine steals set a new season-high mark for Schmidt. The team also got some help courtesy of Makenna Karr, who scored six points along with eight rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, Kenesaw came up short against Doniphan-Trumbull on Tuesday and fell 50-37. Kenesaw has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Despite their loss, Kenesaw saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Ashlyn Hess, who scored six points along with three steals, was perhaps the best of all. Those three steals set a new season-high mark for Hess. Another player making a difference was Avery Kelley, who scored seven points.
Kenesaw struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only two offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Silver Lake's victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Kenesaw, they now have a losing record at 2-3.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Silver Lake have been dynamite from deep this season, having only nailed 32.8% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Kenesaw, though, as they've only made 31% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Silver Lake beat Kenesaw 46-37 when the teams last played back in December of 2022. The rematch might be a little tougher for Silver Lake since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.