Preview: Claysburg-Kimmel Bulldogs vs. West Branch Warriors
Claysburg-Kimmel is 0-10 against West Branch since February of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Claysburg-Kimmel Bulldogs will head out on the road to square off against the West Branch Warriors at 2:00 p.m. One thing working in Claysburg-Kimmel's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last six games.
Last Wednesday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Claysburg-Kimmel beat United 57-51.
Claysburg-Kimmel's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Elias Ritchey led the charge by scoring 12 points along with seven assists and three steals. Ritchey is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 11 games he's played. Brayden Haney was another key contributor, scoring 22 points along with five assists and four steals.
Meanwhile, West Branch put the finishing touches on their 12th blowout victory of the season on Wednesday. They blew past Southern Huntingdon County, posting a 93-64 victory at home. Given West Branch's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 230th, while Southern Huntingdon County is ranked 629th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
West Branch got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Isaac Tiracorda out in front who scored 29 points along with two steals. Tiracorda is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three games straight. Another player making a difference was Owen Koleno, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Claysburg-Kimmel is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-8 record this season. As for West Branch, they pushed their record up to 22-3 with that victory, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Claysburg-Kimmel have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like West Branch struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Claysburg-Kimmel suffered a grim 84-63 defeat to West Branch in their previous matchup back in December of 2022. Thankfully for Claysburg-Kimmel, Kyle Kolesar (who scored 13 points along with six rebounds and two steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
