Basketball Game Preview: Hill City Ringnecks vs. Oakley Plainsmen

The Hill City Ringnecks will head out on the road to square off against the Oakley Plainsmen at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Hill City has struggled recently with 18 losses in a row, while Oakley will arrive with nine straight victories.

Hill City is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Smith Center on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Hill City was beaten by Smith Center 45-16. The Ringnecks were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 31-6.

Despite the defeat, Hill City had strong showings from Rylie Minium, who went 6 of 15 en route to 15 points and seven boards, and Allie Keith, who posted no points. That was a full 93.8% of Hill City's points, marking the seventh time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Mary Anne Christian also deserves some recognition as she scored her first point of the season.

Meanwhile, Oakley got the win against Wheatland-Grinnell on Tuesday by a conclusive 52-26. The Plainsmen have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matches by 20 points or more this season.

Oakley's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-3. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 26.6 points per game. As for Hill City, their loss dropped their record down to 0-11.

Hill City was taken down by Oakley 52-20 when the teams last played back in January of 2024. Can Hill City avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.