The Sandpoint Bulldogs had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.7 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They walked away with a 49-41 victory over Lakeland. Given Sandpoint's advantage in MaxPreps' Idaho basketball rankings (they are ranked sixth, while Lakeland is ranked 49th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Karlie Banks, who scored 33 points along with nine rebounds and three steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Sandpoint's points. Another player making a difference was Brecken Mire, who scored six points along with five steals.
Sandpoint's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-3. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.0 points per game. As for Lakeland, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-8 record this season.
Sandpoint will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Timberlake at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. As for Lakeland, they will head out on the road to face off against Moscow at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
