Basketball Game Preview: Wauneta-Palisade Broncos vs. South Platte Blue Knights

By Team Reports Dec 20, 2024, 2:09am

Basketball Preview: Wauneta-Palisade Broncos vs. South Platte Blue Knights

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The Wauneta-Palisade Broncos will take on the South Platte Blue Knights in a holiday battle at at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

Last Tuesday, Wauneta-Palisade came up short against Dundy County-Stratton and fell 41-34. The game marked the Broncos' lowest-scoring match so far this season.

Izzy Stehno

Steals

12/17/24 @ Dundy County-Stratton3
12/14/24 vs Medicine Valley2
12/13/24 vs Arapahoe2

Despite their loss, Wauneta-Palisade saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Izzy Stehno, who posted four points in addition to ten boards and three steals, was perhaps the best of all. Stehno is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kamryn Fanning, who put up ten points.

Even though they lost, Wauneta-Palisade smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in seven consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, South Platte made easy work of Hyannis on Thursday and carried off a 47-24 victory. The Blue Knights have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 21 points or more this season.

Wauneta-Palisade better keep an eye on Johanna Frerichs. She was instrumental in South Platte's win, going 5 of 9 on her way to 13 points along with seven rebounds and seven steals. What's more, Frerichs also racked up two blocks, the most she's had since back in January. Jayla Paulsen was another key player, putting up ten points along with six boards and three steals.

Wauneta-Palisade has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-3 record this season. As for South Platte, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 4-2.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Wauneta-Palisade has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 36 boards per game. However, it's not like South Platte struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.7 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Wauneta-Palisade came up short against South Platte in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 59-54. Can Wauneta-Palisade avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.

Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps