The Kearns Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Hunter Wolverines at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Kearns focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 28 on Tuesday.
Kearns suffered their closest defeat since November 30, 2023 on Tuesday. They fell just short of Cyprus by a score of 50-47. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Kearns in their matchups with Cyprus: they've now lost five in a row.
Adhau Chol put forth a good effort for the losing side as she scored 12 points along with eight blocks and six rebounds. She is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as she's now posted two or more in the last three games she's played. Kylee Glade was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with two steals.
Hunter proved they can win big on Friday (they won by 52) but on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They skirted past West Jordan 65-63. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Hunter.
Hunter's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kalysa Ng, who scored 29 points along with eight steals and five rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Ng has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Grace Gallagher, who dropped a triple-double on 15 points, 13 rebounds, and ten blocks.
Kearns now has a losing record at 8-9. As for Hunter, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 8-9 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Kearns have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Hunter struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Kearns didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Hunter in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, but they still walked away with a 55-49 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Hunter's Trinidi Gasu, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 16 rebounds. Now that she won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Kearns to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
