Basketball Game Preview: Northern Valley Huskies vs. Wheatland-Grinnell Thunderhawks

The Northern Valley Huskies will challenge the Wheatland-Grinnell Thunderhawks at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with six consecutive losses for Northern Valley and three for Wheatland-Grinnell.

Northern Valley is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Decatur Community on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Northern Valley came up short against Decatur Community, falling 71-49. The Huskies were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 39-19.

Despite the loss, Northern Valley saw an underclassman step up: freshman Tait Thalheim posted 29 points and three steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Thalheim has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Owen Hammond, who put up 18 points and eight rebounds.

Meanwhile, Wheatland-Grinnell took a blow against Dighton on Tuesday, falling 76-26. While losing is never fun, the Thunderhawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 264th, while the Hornets are ranked 109th).

Northern Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 3-8. As for Wheatland-Grinnell, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.

Everything came up roses for Northern Valley against Wheatland-Grinnell in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as the team secured a 94-28 win. Does Northern Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will Wheatland-Grinnell turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.