Basketball Game Preview: Chalker Wildcats vs. Badger Braves

Chalker is 1-9 against Badger since December of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Wildcats will take on the Braves at 7:00 p.m. Chalker will be strutting in after a win while Badger will be coming in after a defeat.

While Wildcats fans will have to keep waiting for their squad to come home, they shouldn't be too worried about the road trip considering the result of Monday's season opener. They blew past Open Door Christian 62-31 on Monday. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Wildcats had established a 29-point advantage.

Abby Grimm

Points

12/01/25 @ Open Door Christian	20
01/27/25 vs Bristol	13
01/18/25 vs Maplewood	5
01/16/25 vs Badger	15
01/13/25 @ Pymatuning Valley	15
+ 2 more games

Chalker's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Abby Grimm, who posted 20 points, and Tatum Hudak, who earned 15 points. That's the most points Grimm has posted since back in December of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Julia Ross, who put up eight points.

Meanwhile, Badger played a tough matchup on Monday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 59-23 loss at the hands of Poland Seminary. The Braves were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 37-16.

Chalker will need to focus on slowing down Riley Thomas, one of several Badger players who made an impact when they last played. She had six points and ten boards. Thomas is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in each of the last five games she's played dating back to last season.

Chalker couldn't quite get it done against Badger in their previous meeting back in January as they fell 51-40. Can the Wildcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.