Basketball Game Preview: Wellington-Napoleon Tigers vs. Hardin-Central Bulldogs

Wellington-Napoleon is 8-2 against Hardin-Central since February of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Wellington-Napoleon Tigers will challenge the Hardin-Central Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. Wellington-Napoleon will be strutting in after a victory while Hardin-Central will be coming in after a defeat.

Wellington-Napoleon is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 34-13 margin over Braymer. The win continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Bobcats: they've now won three in a row.

Kaylin Ellensohn

Rebounds

02/25/25 vs Braymer	6
02/21/25 vs Lone Jack	2
02/20/25 @ Mid-Buchanan	3
02/14/25 @ Orrick	1
02/13/25 vs Polo	4
01/03/24 @ Lafayette County	9

Wellington-Napoleon's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kaylin Ellensohn, who went 5-for-9 to rack up 10 points and six rebounds. That's the most boards Ellensohn has posted since back in January of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Brilynn Zykan, who scored seven points along with five assists and five rebounds.

Wellington-Napoleon smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Hardin-Central's good fortune finally ran out last Tuesday. They lost 53-30 to Santa Fe.

Hardin-Central's loss dropped their record down to 16-5. As for Wellington-Napoleon, their win bumped their record up to 6-20.

Wellington-Napoleon came up short against Hardin-Central when the teams last played on February 6th, falling 35-23. Can Wellington-Napoleon avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.