Two dominant guards in Bailey Rae Verhulst and Drew Terkildsen are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Harding County Ranchers will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against the Philip Scotties at 6:30 p.m. Harding County is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Philip better have a healthy lead at halftime, because if last week is any indication, that's when Harding County really get things going. Everything went Harding County's way against Tiospaye Topa on Thursday as Harding County made off with a 71-50 win. The Ranchers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matches by 21 points or more this season.
Kamry Padden
| 02/13/25 @ Tiospaye Topa | 67% |
| 02/06/25 @ Timber Lake | 50% |
| 02/04/25 vs Lemmon | 33% |
| 02/01/25 @ New Underwood | 62% |
| 01/31/25 vs Hill City | 11% |
| + 11 more games |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Harding County to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kamry Padden, who went 6-for-9 to rack up 16 points along with seven boards and four steals. Thanks to that strong game, Padden now owns an excellent 45.7% field goal percentage. Another player making a difference was Macey Wendt, who went 5-for-9 en route to 10 points and five steals.
Harding County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 14 offensive boards in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Philip was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 67-63 to Freeman. The Scotties have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Harding County will need to focus on slowing down Terkildsen, one of several Philip players who made an impact when they last played. She posted 18 points and three steals. Terkildsen is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in each of the last six games she's played. Fayth Martin was another key player, putting up ten points and seven rebounds.
Harding County's victory was their 17th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-0. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.8 points over those games. As for Philip, their loss dropped their record down to 9-9.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Harding County has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Philip struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.7 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Harding County beat Philip 64-51 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Will Harding County repeat their success, or does Philip have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
