Basketball Game Preview: Ainsworth Bulldogs vs. Wisner-Pilger Gators

The Ainsworth Bulldogs will square off against the Wisner-Pilger Gators at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Ainsworth has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Last Friday, Ainsworth came up short against Winside and fell 56-47.

Gracyn Painter

Rebounds

02/14/25 @ Winside	9
02/11/25 vs Stuart	11
02/07/25 vs Sandhills/Thedford	8
01/30/25 @ Niobrara/Verdigre	11
01/28/25 vs Hyannis	12
01/23/25 vs North Central	11

Despite the loss, Ainsworth saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Gracyn Painter almost dropped a double-double with 27 points and nine rebounds. Painter is on a roll when it comes to boards, as she's now pulled down eight or more in each of the last six games she's played. Another player making a difference was Willa Flynn, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.

Even though they lost, Ainsworth smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in ten consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Wisner-Pilger ended up a good deal behind Laurel-Concord-Coleridge on Thursday and lost 72-58.

Ainsworth has been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven matches, which has put a noticeable dent in their 4-15 record this season. As for Wisner-Pilger, their defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 8-12.