The Wheatland-Grinnell Thunderhawks will head out to square off against the Northern Valley Huskies at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Wheatland-Grinnell will be strutting in after a win while Northern Valley will be coming in after a loss.
Last Tuesday, Wheatland-Grinnell didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Dighton, but they still walked away with a 44-38 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Thunderhawks.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Wheatland-Grinnell to victory, but perhaps none more so than Aliviah Ball, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten boards. Another player making a difference was Natalie Bixenman, who went 5 for 8 en route to 11 points along with six rebounds and five assists.
Wheatland-Grinnell smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 13 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Northern Valley played a tough contest on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 58-31 defeat at the hands of Decatur Community. The Huskies were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 39-12.
Wheatland-Grinnell will need focus on slowing down Jaycee Gebhard, one of several Northern Valley players who made an impact when they last played. She posted 11 points.
Wheatland-Grinnell has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.6 points per game. As for Northern Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 4-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Wheatland-Grinnell has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Northern Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Wheatland-Grinnell came up short against Northern Valley in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, falling 54-50. Can Wheatland-Grinnell avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
