Basketball Recap: Thunder Ridge Comes Up Short

Thunder Ridge lost against Rock Hills back in January, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Thunder Ridge Longhorns had to suffer through a 61-34 loss at the hands of the Rock Hills Grizzlies. While losing is never fun, the Longhorns can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 286th, while the Grizzlies are ranked 124th).

Despite the loss, Thunder Ridge still got an impressive performance from Madison Brown, who posted 11 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. What's more, Brown posted three assists, the most she's had since back in January of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Jenna Barnes, who had eight points in addition to five boards and four steals.

Even though they lost, Thunder Ridge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive boards in nine consecutive contests.

Rock Hills' win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Bethany Simmelink, who went 11-for-19 on her way to 24 points along with eight steals and seven assists. The game was Simmelink's fourth in a row with at least 15 points. Another player making a difference was Halle Mizner, who went 8-for-18 to rack up 18 points in addition to seven steals and five assists.

Thunder Ridge has been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-11 record this season. The victory was the sixth in a row for Rock Hills, bringing their record for this year to 16-3.

Coming up, Thunder Ridge will welcome Centre at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Rock Hills does not have any more games scheduled as of now.