Preview: Ballard Bulldogs vs. Bronaugh Wildcats
Ballard and Bronaugh are an even 4-4 against one another since December of 2014, but not for long. The Ballard Bulldogs will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bronaugh Wildcats at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Last Tuesday, Ballard suffered a tough 70-45 loss at the hands of Drexel. Ballard has struggled against Drexel recently, as their match on Tuesday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Payson Hill, who scored 14 points along with 6 rebounds. He scored a full 31.1% of Ballard's points, the fifth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Bradley Bergschnieder, who scored 8 points along with 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Bronaugh was the victim of a tough 55-32 defeat at the hands of Sheldon on Thursday. While losing is never fun, Bronaugh can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 241st, while Sheldon is ranked 107th).
Strauss Banes put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored 8 points along with 7 steals and 5 rebounds. Tucker Duncan was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with 3 steals.
Ballard's defeat was their third straight at home, which bumped their record down to 1-5. As for Bronaugh, their loss dropped their record down to 4-2.
Monday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Ballard haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 0 turnovers per game. It's a different story for Bronaugh, though, as they've been averaging 15.3 per game. Given Ballard's sizeable advantage in that area, Bronaugh will need to find a way to close that gap. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
Ballard was taken down by Bronaugh 65-31 when the teams last played back in December of 2022. Will Ballard have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
