Basketball Preview: Hill City Ringnecks vs. Golden Plains Bulldogs
Hill City is 9-0 against the Bulldogs since February of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Hill City Ringnecks will look to defend their home court against the Golden Plains Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. Hill City will be looking to keep their nine-game home win streak (dating back to last season) alive.
Last Friday, Hill City didn't have too much trouble with the Buffaloes at home as they won 65-51.
Dylan Gansel was his usual excellent self, scoring 21 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. He has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Carson Keith, who scored 12 points along with four steals.
Golden Plains aren't just finding sucess at home, as their game on Saturday extended their overall winning streak to three. They strolled past Wheatland-Grinnell with points to spare, taking the game 58-42.
Golden Plains found their leader in underclassman Dylan Wark, who scored 26 points along with eight rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Wark has scored all season. Josh Rath was another key contributor, almost dropping a double-double on nine points and nine rebounds.
Hill City is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. As for Golden Plains, their victory bumped their record up to 6-9.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Hill City have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Golden Plains struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Hill City against the Bulldogs in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 as the squad secured a 93-17 victory. Will Hill City repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
