The Salem Hills Skyhawks's and the Del Norte Nighthawks's match on Thursday was close at halftime, but the Salem Hills Skyhawks turned on the heat in the second half with 38 points. Salem Hills blew past Del Norte 60-38. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest victory Salem Hills has managed all season.
Salem Hills was led to victory by Ethan Hopkins and Chase Degraffenried. Hopkins scored 18 points along with five rebounds, while Degraffenried scored 19 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. The matchup was Degraffenried's eighth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Kason Averett, who scored ten points along with six assists and five rebounds.
The victory makes it two in a row for Salem Hills and bumps their season record up to 4-5. As for Del Norte, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-8 record this season.
Salem Hills and Orem will face off at 7:00 p.m. on January 3, 2024 without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Orem is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak. Del Norte will be staying on the road on Wednesday to face off against Steele Canyon at 12:40 p.m. on December 27th. Steele Canyon will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps California Rankings (they are ranked 633rd, while Del Norte is ranked 296th).
