Shelley hasn't had much luck against Hillcrest recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Shelley Russets will look to defend their home court against the Hillcrest Knights at 7:30 p.m.
Last Thursday, Shelley was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 50-45 to Bonneville.
Meanwhile, Hillcrest entered their tilt with Skyline on Thursday with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. They walked away with a 58-45 win over the Grizzlies. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Idaho basketball rankings (they are ranked 17th, while the Grizzlies are ranked 118th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hillcrest's win came from a few key players Shelley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Gage Blakeslee, who went 7 for 14 on his way to 14 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Titan Larsen was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 16 points and nine boards.
Hillcrest smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.
Hillcrest is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.8 points per game. As for Shelley, their loss dropped their record down to 5-9.
Shelley was taken down by Hillcrest 75-45 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Will Shelley have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
