Basketball Game Preview: Atchison County Tigers vs. Pleasant Ridge Rams

Two dominant guards in Kinzee Bauerle and Isabela Major are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Atchison County Tigers will head out to square off against the Pleasant Ridge Rams at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Atchison County will be strutting in after a victory while Pleasant Ridge will be coming in after a defeat.

Last Tuesday, Atchison County was able to grind out a solid win over Jackson Heights, taking the game 59-46.

Kinzee Bauerle

Points

02/11/25 vs Jackson Heights	32
02/10/25 vs Atchison-Maur Hill-Mount Academy	23
02/07/25 @ Horton	17
02/01/25 vs Atchison	21
01/31/25 vs Perry-Lecompton	24
+ 11 more games

Atchison County can attribute much of their success to Bauerle, who went 11-for-23 en route to 32 points and seven rebounds, and Kori Wagner, who posted 11 points in addition to seven steals and six assists. The match was Bauerle's 16th in a row with at least 17 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Mackenzie Scholz, who put up seven points and seven boards.

They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: Atchison County was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Pleasant Ridge was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They were outmatched by Troy and fell 54-20. The Rams were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 34-10.

They got a good chunk of their points from the dynamic duo of Emma Parker and Maggie Lance, who each put up five points. Major held things down on the boards with seven rebounds.

Pleasant Ridge's defeat dropped their record down to 4-13. As for Atchison County, their victory bumped their record up to 6-10.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Atchison County has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Pleasant Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Atchison County came up short against Pleasant Ridge in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 35-29. Can Atchison County avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.