Basketball Game Preview: Douglass Bulldogs vs. Belle Plaine Dragons

Douglass is 2-8 against Belle Plaine since February of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Douglass Bulldogs are taking a road trip to take on the Belle Plaine Dragons at 7:00 p.m. Neither Douglass nor Belle Plaine posted many points in their last games, so it might be the defenses that decide this one.

Douglass is headed into the contest having just suffered their biggest loss since February 26, 2024 on Tuesday. They were beaten by Conway Springs 53-24. The game marked the Bulldogs' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Jace Pichler, who posted three points and four steals. He is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed three or more in the last three games he's played. Bronsyn Knisley also deserves some recognition as he posted his first assists of the season.

Meanwhile, Belle Plaine was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They came up short against Chaparral, falling 48-24. While losing is never fun, the Dragons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 304th, while the Roadrunners are ranked 146th).

This is the second loss in a row for Douglass and nudges their season record down to 3-6. As for Belle Plaine, their loss dropped their record down to 1-7.

Douglass couldn't quite finish off Belle Plaine when the teams last played back in December of 2024 and fell 47-45. Can Douglass avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.