The Sterling Tigers will challenge the Basalt Longhorns at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Sterling has given up an average of 53.7 points per game this season, so hopefully the team got some defensive drills in this week.
Sterling is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 62 points on Wednesday, they were much more limited against Yuma on Saturday. They were dealt a 57-27 loss at the hands of the Outlaws. The game marked the Tigers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Despite the defeat, Sterling had strong showings from Jacob Slade, who posted 12 points, and Ethan Thyne, who put up seven points.
Meanwhile, Basalt hadn't done well against Steamboat Springs recently (they were 0-5 in their previous five matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Basalt came out on top against Steamboat Springs by a score of 63-51. The victory was some much needed relief for the Longhorns as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Basalt's win came from a few key players Sterling will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Taylor Hays, who scored 21 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Basalt is 2-1 when Hays posts 15 or more points, but 8-12 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Elias Schendler, who dropped a double-double with 15 points and 13 boards.
Basalt smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. They are 8-4 when they hit their own glass that hard.
Sterling's loss dropped their record down to 15-8. As for Basalt, their win bumped their record up to 10-13.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sterling has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Basalt struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
