Basketball Game Preview: Nitro Wildcats vs. Wayne Pioneers

Nitro and Wayne are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2019, but not for long. Having just played yesterday, the Nitro Wildcats will jump right back in to play the Wayne Pioneers at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Nitro sitting on five straight wins and Wayne on 13.

Nitro is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They came out on top against Grafton by a score of 65-55.

Natalie Smith

Points

03/14/25 vs Grafton	26
03/11/25 vs Lewis County	9
03/06/25 vs Chapmanville Regional	14
02/27/25 @ St. Albans	13
02/26/25 @ Hoover	11
+ 12 more games

Natalie Smith was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds. That's the most points she has posted since back in January. Another player making a difference was Brooklyn Cawley, who earned nine points in addition to six boards and five assists.

Nitro smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in seven consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Wayne faced Greenbrier East in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. Wayne walked away with a 69-57 victory over Greenbrier East.

Nitro's record now sits at 21-4. As for Wayne, their record is now an identical 21-4.

Nitro didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Wayne in their previous meeting back in January, but they still walked away with a 30-25 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Nitro since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.