Basketball Game Preview: Valley Falls Dragons vs. Atchison County Tigers

Valley Falls hasn't had much luck against Atchison County recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Valley Falls Dragons are taking a road trip to face off against the Atchison County Tigers at 6:00 p.m. Atchison County took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Valley Falls, who comes in off a win.

Having struggled with seven defeats in a row dating back to last season, Valley Falls turned things around against McLouth on Friday. They snuck past the Bulldogs with a 34-29 victory.

Meanwhile, Atchison County came up short against Atchison-Maur Hill-Mount Academy on Friday and fell 56-45. The Tigers have struggled against the Ravens recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.

Valley Falls will need focus on slowing down Kinzee Bauerle, one of several Atchison County players who made an impact when they last played. She posted 23 points in addition to six rebounds and four steals. The game was Bauerle's sixth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kori Wagner, who had 11 points along with eight rebounds and six assists.

Atchison County's loss dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Valley Falls, their win ended an eight-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 1-5.

Things could have been worse for Valley Falls, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 60-43 loss to Atchison County when the teams last played back in December of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Bauerle, who went 16 of 24 on her way to 39 points in addition to eight boards and seven steals. Now that Valley Falls knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.