Basketball Recap: Wheatland-Grinnell Falls Despite Big Games from Natalie Bixenman and Aliviah Ball

Wheatland-Grinnell and Wallace County squared off in some playoff action on Friday, but Wheatland-Grinnell had to settle for second. They took a 52-47 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wallace County Wildcats. The Thunderhawks haven't had much luck with the Wildcats recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.

Aliviah Ball

Rebounds

12/06/24 @ Weskan	16
02/08/25 vs Cheylin	14
03/07/25 vs Wallace County	12
02/11/25 @ Quinter	12
12/13/24 vs Logan/Palco	12
+ 16 more games

Aliviah Ball and Natalie Bixenman certainly did their best on Friday to avoid the loss. Ball dropped a double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Bixenman almost dropped a double-double with 14 points and nine boards. Ball is becoming a predictor of Wheatland-Grinnell's success: when she posts at least eight boards the team is 12-2 (and 3-4 when she doesn't). Emma Thomas also deserves some recognition as she posted her first assist of the season.

Wallace County found their leader in sophomore Kallie Richardson, who shot 47% from the field to rack up 19 points along with eight steals and six rebounds. Those eight steals set a new season-high mark for Richardson. Jaelyn Daily was another key player, putting up seven points in addition to 11 boards and three steals.

Wheatland-Grinnell's defeat dropped their record down to 15-6. As for Wallace County, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 17-4.

Wheatland-Grinnell does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Wallace County, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 64-49 loss against Hanover on the 12th.