Hoover is 1-9 against Nitro since December of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Hoover Huskies will look to defend their home court against the Nitro Wildcats at 7:00 p.m.
Hoover fought the good fight in their overtime game against Capital on Saturday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell 60-48 to the Cougars.
Hoover might have lost, but man, Ayva Veltri was a machine: she went 9-for-21 to rack up 28 points and five rebounds. What's more, Veltri also posted a 43% three-point shooting accuracy, which is the highest she's achieved since back in January of 2024. Bella Haas was another key player, putting up six points and seven boards.
Even though they lost, Hoover smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 12 offensive rebounds in five consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Nitro faced Wheeling Park in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. Nitro walked away with a 68-57 win over Wheeling Park. Winning may never get old, but the Wildcats sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Nitro's win came from a few key players Hoover will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Natalie Smith, who dropped a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. She has been hot recently, having also posted two or more blocks the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Mika Adams, who went 6-for-9 en route to 18 points.
Nitro pushed their record up to 15-3 with the victory, which was their 22nd straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.8 points over those games. As for Hoover, their loss dropped their record down to 7-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Hoover has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 30.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Nitro struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Hoover suffered a grim 60-40 defeat to Nitro in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Smith, who dropped a double-double with 20 points and ten boards. Now that Hoover knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
