Basketball Recap: Wheatland-Grinnell Comes Up Short

Wheatland-Grinnell won a close one the last time they played, but unfortunately they suffered a serious change of fortune on Tuesday. They took a blow against the Oakley Plainsmen, falling 72-24. The Thunderhawks lost against the Plainsmen in their previous head to head back in January of 2024, too, but the margin this time around was even wider than the 54-38 score last time.

Spencer Beckman was Wheatland-Grinnell's leading scorer, having posted six points. Branton Goetz took the lead distributing the ball, coming up with two assists.

Oakley was led to victory by Carsen Beal and Manuel Mancia. Beal posted eight points in addition to eight assists and five rebounds, while Mancia scored 15 points. The dominant performance also gave Beal a new career-high in steals (four). Jonah Kuhlman was another key player, putting up eight points along with seven boards and four blocks.

Wheatland-Grinnell's loss dropped their record down to 5-7. As for Oakley, their win ended an eight-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 6-8.

Wheatland-Grinnell wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next match, a 74-48 defeat against Ness City on the 31st. As for Oakley, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 50-38 loss against Hill City on the 31st.