Basketball Game Preview: Bertha-Hewitt Bears vs. Upsala Cardinals

Bertha-Hewitt is 2-8 against Upsala since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Bertha-Hewitt Bears will be playing at home against the Upsala Cardinals at 7:15 p.m.

Bertha-Hewitt is headed into the matchup having just suffered their biggest defeat since January 31st on Tuesday. They came up short against Rothsay, falling 62-41. The Bears have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, Upsala had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They came within a single point of losing the streak, but they secured a 50-49 W against the Dutchmen. The Cardinals' offense checked out after the first half but had enough points banked to take the game anyway.

Bertha-Hewitt better keep an eye on Samantha Pilarski. She was instrumental in Upsala's win, putting up 17 points and eight rebounds. Zoey Leners was another key player, posting six points and 13 boards.

Upsala smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in eight consecutive contests.

Upsala's victory bumped their record up to 16-8. As for Bertha-Hewitt, their loss dropped their record down to 21-7.

Bertha-Hewitt was taken down by Upsala 76-41 in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Pilarski, who went 14-for-21 en route to 33 points in addition to six rebounds and four steals. Now that Bertha-Hewitt knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.