Preview: Ainsworth Bulldogs vs. North Central Knights
Ainsworth is 7-1 against North Central since December of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Ainsworth Bulldogs will head out on the road to take on the North Central Knights at 8:00 p.m. Hopefully Ainsworth focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 22 on Thursday.
Ainsworth suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Thursday. Their rough 72-46 defeat to O'Neill might stick with them for a while. Ainsworth has not had much luck with O'Neill recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Morgan Kinney, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Trey Appelt was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, North Central's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their sixth straight loss. They fell 49-42 to West Holt.
Despite the defeat, North Central had strong showings from Jackson Hallock, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds, and Kol Otten, who scored 13 points. Hallock is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Mason Hagan, who scored eight points along with five rebounds.
Even though they lost, North Central smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Ainsworth has not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-4 record this season. As for North Central, they bumped their record down to 3-8 with that defeat, which was their fourth straight at home.
Thursday's game will pit two of the most dominant players against one another: Carter Nelson and Hallock. Nelson has been dynamite this season: he has averaged 12.5 points, 2.5 blocks, and 8.4 rebounds. For his part, Hallock has averaged 11.5 points, 1.7 steals, and 8.5 rebounds.
Ainsworth came out on top in a nail-biter against North Central in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, sneaking past 47-45. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was North Central's Raden Orton, who scored 15 points along with nine rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be that much easier for Ainsworth to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
