Basketball Game Preview: Grand County Red Devils vs. Wayne Badgers

The Grand County Red Devils will take on the Wayne Badgers in a holiday battle at at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Grand County has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Grand County is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Monticello: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Grand County blew Monticello out of the water with a 56-22 final score. That's two games straight that the Red Devils have won by exactly 34 points.

Grand County got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Ainsleigh Kasprick out in front who posted 17 points and seven steals. Kasprick is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last four games she's played. Gemma Phillips was another key player, dropping a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Grand County was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Wayne put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They walked away with a 51-44 victory over Piute.

Wayne's win came from a few key players Grand County will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was AJ VanDyke, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine boards. Another player making a difference was Lilly Morrill, who put up 12 points.

Wayne pushed their record up to 5-0 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Grand County, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Grand County has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 38.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Wayne struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Grand County lost to Wayne on the road by a decisive 50-35 margin in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Can Grand County avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.