Guthrie boys’ basketball faces one last opponent to end 2024 before winter break takes us into the new year.
Coach Nathan Pennypacker and the Bluejays cap off the first semester of the 2024-25 school year with a home match against 5A-3 district rival Bishop Kelley on Friday, Dec. 20. It’s the team’s first home game this season after their opener against East Central back on Dec. 3 was postponed.
Guthrie comes into this matchup off the heels of a road test in its district opener against Shawnee on Tuesday night. They face a Bishop Kelley team that has been spotty to start the year, alternating wins and losses while also hosting their own invitational tournament.
Bishop Kelley might be a better team than their record indicates. Of the seven games the Comets have played so far this season, three of those have come against Class 6A opponents and all of which resulted in losses. Guthrie has faced no 6A teams this year.
Led by head coach Brandon Maddux, the Comets are a group that have not put up big numbers offensively but have excelled at holding opponents to low scoring totals. The team is currently averaging 45 points per game this season while giving up 47.3 points. They’ve scored below 44 points in all but one of their games so far, that being a 70-56 win over Shawnee.
For Guthrie, the 202425 Bluejays are a seniorladen group that bring plenty of experience to the table. Leading the way is Nate Benford, Tyrone Beatty Jr., Alex Clark and Braydon Morgan, all of whom can score in a multitude of ways.
What Guthrie doesn't bring to the table is size, as their lack of a big man leads to some mismatches against teams that boast one or even multiple bigs. A team that avoids driving into taller defenders, threepoint shooting has been one of the Bluejays’ strongsuits, so boxing out, rebounding and shooting will be major keys to Friday’s game.
Guthrie plays host to the Bishop Kelley Comets at the GHS gym on Friday, Dec. 20, starting at 7:30 P.M.