Shakamak is 1-9 against North Central since February of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Shakamak Lakers will head out on the road to face off against the North Central Thunderbirds at 7:30 p.m. Shakamak is coming into the game hot, having won their last eight games.
Even though Shakamak has not done well against Bloomfield recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way last Tuesday. Shakamak breezed by Bloomfield at home to the tune of 59-20. Considering Shakamak has won five matchups by more than 25 points this season, last Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Shakamak's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Chase Hammond, who scored 13 points along with 7 rebounds and 5 steals. Hammond has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last five times she's played. Elayni Stone was another key contributor, scoring 9 points along with 6 steals and 5 assists.
Meanwhile, North Central was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap last Tuesday as they fell 47-41 to Eastern Greene. North Central has struggled against Eastern Greene recently, as their game last Tuesday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the loss, North Central got a solid performance out of Jalyn Davidson, who scored 15 points along with 5 steals. The game was Davidson's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Shelby Seay, who scored 9 points along with 5 assists.
Shakamak's victory bumped their season record to 8-1 while Bloomfield's defeat dropped theirs to 0-6.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's matchup: Shakamak have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 7.8 threes per game. It's a different story for North Central, though, as they've been averaging only 5.2 per game. Given Shakamak's sizeable advantage in that area, North Central will need to find a way to close that gap. Come back here after the game to get analysis of the match and other basketball content.
Shakamak came up short against North Central in their previous matchup back in January, falling 45-40. Can Shakamak avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
