Preview: Harding County Ranchers vs. Bowman County co-op [Bowman/Rhame] Bulldogs
Harding County is 0-7 against Bowman County co-op [Bowman/Rhame] since January of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Harding County Ranchers will head out on the road to face off against the Bowman County co-op [Bowman/Rhame] Bulldogs at 12:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Harding County comes in on four and Bowman County co-op [Bowman/Rhame] on six.
Even though Harding County has not done well against Hettinger/Scranton recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Harding County was the clear victor by a 60-36 margin over Hettinger/Scranton. Given Harding County's advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 20th in South Dakota, while Hettinger/Scranton is ranked 65th in North Dakota), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Harding County relied on the efforts of Jaelyn Wendt, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Claire Verhulst, who scored 16 points along with three steals. The contest was Verhulst's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Kelsi Costello was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Bowman County co-op [Bowman/Rhame] scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They breezed by Solen on the road to the tune of 89-14. That 89-14 margin sets a new team best for Bowman County co-op [Bowman/Rhame] this season.
Harding County pushed their record up to 4-0 with that win, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.6 points per game. As for Bowman County co-op [Bowman/Rhame], their win bumped their record up to 5-0.
Harding County came up short against Bowman County co-op [Bowman/Rhame] when the teams last played back in January, falling 57-50. Can Harding County avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
