Preview: Burns Broncs vs. Niobrara County Tigers
The Burns Broncs will head out on the road to challenge the Niobrara County Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Burns focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 29 on Friday.
Burns struggled with assists on Friday (Douglas had seven more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Burns took a serious blow against Douglas, falling 68-33. While losing is never fun, Burns can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Wyoming basketball rankings (they are ranked 32nd, while Douglas is ranked first).
Josie Barrett was Burns' leading scorer, having posted eight points. Barrett also led the team in rebounds with six.
Jordan Griess took the lead distributing the ball, coming up with eight assists.
Niobrara County can finally bid farewell to their six-game losing streak thanks to their game on Monday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Guernsey-Sunrise 57-12 on the road. The win was just what Niobrara County needed coming off of a 58-26 loss in their prior game.
Niobrara County got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Rachel Krein out in front who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Krein has scored all season. Tessa Manning was another key contributor, scoring six points along with seven steals and five assists.
Burns' loss dropped their record down to 8-11. As for Niobrara County, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-12.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Burns have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Niobrara County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Burns strolled past Niobrara County when the teams last played back in January by a score of 43-28. The rematch might be a little tougher for Burns since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
