Preview: Wauneta-Palisade Broncos vs. Maywood/Hayes Center Wolves
Wauneta-Palisade is 1-9 against Maywood/Hayes Center since February of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. Both teams will face off at 6:00 p.m. on February 9th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Wauneta-Palisade can finally bid farewell to their seven-game losing streak thanks to their game on Friday. They strolled past Sutherland with points to spare, taking the game 49-31.
Peyton Cox continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 18 points and 15 rebounds. She hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for five straight games. Another player making a difference was Emma Acton, who scored ten points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Maywood/Hayes Center waltzed into their match on Saturday with two straight wins but they left with three. They walked away with a 41-29 win over Anselmo-Merna. Given Maywood/Hayes Center's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 47th, while Anselmo-Merna is ranked 194th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ellie Broz was the offensive standout of the match as she scored ten points along with seven rebounds and four steals. She hasn't dropped below three steals for three straight games. Reagan Stengel was another key contributor, scoring three points along with four steals.
Wauneta-Palisade's record is now 6-10. As for Maywood/Hayes Center, their win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 18-2.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Wauneta-Palisade have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Maywood/Hayes Center struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Wauneta-Palisade came up short against Maywood/Hayes Center when the teams last played back in February of 2023, falling 59-47. Can Wauneta-Palisade avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
