Tyler hasn't had much luck against Ritchie County recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Tyler Knights will look to defend their home court against the Ritchie County Rebels at 12:30 p.m. After both made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Saturday.
Having struggled with four losses in a row, Tyler turned things around against Wirt County on Wednesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Tigers 63-32. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Knights considering their 25-point performance the matchup before.
Tyler's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Jules Lattea, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 17 rebounds, and Katie Grimm, who posted 15 points in addition to five assists and four steals. Another player making a difference was Riley Stover, who scored seven points and eight steals.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Ritchie County). They blew past Eastern 78-47 on Wednesday. While the Rebels didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Ritchie County found their leader in sophomore Elsa Law, who dropped a triple-double on 17 points, 13 assists, and 11 steals. Law has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 17 times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Chelsie Jeffrey, who went 7 for 9 en route to 19 points.
They weren't the only one working in the assists department: Ritchie County was working as a unit and finished the game with 22 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Tyler's victory was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-6 and their overall record up to 3-8. As for Ritchie County, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Tyler has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Ritchie County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 39.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Tyler beat Ritchie County 60-51 in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. Does Tyler have another victory up their sleeve, or will Ritchie County turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
