January 2nd State Rundown

<p>Across the state, a lot of great basketball is being played, and many teams in smaller towns have been able to get a lot of games under their belt and are beginning to gel as a team. On the east side of the state, a couple of rivals faced off in close matches, while other games featured a beatdown due to excellent shooting and pure skill. As players are finally beginning to figure out their roles within their team, the competition has begun to narrow in many areas, and games are getting closer and more competitive with each additional week of play. Continue reading for a look at a handful of games across the state on January 2, 2021.</p> <p><strong>Blackfoot vs. Shelley:</strong> Blackfoot came away with a 20-point win over the Russets through great defense and a balanced offensive approach. The Blackfoot defense smothered Shelley and only allowed 34 points for the entire game, a mark that any coach would be proud of at any level throughout the state. Blackfoot was led on offense by [player_tooltip player_id="969603" first="Carter" last="Layton"] contributing 10 points, and the entire roster scored in a rout of Shelley.</p> <p><strong>West Side vs. Grace:</strong> Staying on the east side of the state, a back and forth game between West Side and Grace was incredibly fun to watch. Grace was led by [player_tooltip player_id="919679" first="Gage" last="Stoddard"] chipping in 18 points as the Grizzlies attempted to overcome a barrage of 3-pointers from the Pirates. However, West Side was able to use an impressive shooting performance to push their lead where they ended up winning by 10 points by the time the final buzzer rang. [player_tooltip player_id="969492" first="Bryler" last="Shurtliff"] led West Side with 24 points and a hot shooting spree on the way to a great win for the Pirates.</p> <p><strong>Dietrich vs. Rockland:</strong> To round out the rundown from January 2nd, Dietrich put on a beatdown of Rockland in a high scoring affair. Dietrich bullied Rockland all game and never slowed down despite a lot of different defensive and offensive schemes from the Bulldogs of Rockland. The Dietrich Blue Devils put on an impressive rebounding display as they ultimately won the rebounding battle 44-24. The lone positive note for Rockland came via a 28-point performance from Braden Permann, but this was still not enough to keep the Bulldogs in a tight race with the Blue Devils.</p>