Winside is 0-3 against St. Mary since January of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Winside Wildcats on the road again and play against the St. Mary's Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. on January 18th. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Winside posted their closest victory yet this season two weeks ago. They had just enough and edged Hartington-Newcastle out 37-35.
Winside got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Gavin Schutt out in front who scored 13 points along with three steals. Caleb Offner was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with seven rebounds and six blocks.
Meanwhile, St. Mary's scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Santee 88-45 at home. That looming 88-45 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for St. Mary's yet this season.
St. Mary's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Gage Hedstrom, who scored 28 points along with eight rebounds and two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Ben Barlow, who scored 21 points along with three steals.
Winside's win bumped their record up to 4-7. As for St. Mary's, they pushed their record up to 8-3 with that win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season.
Thursday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Winside have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 27.5 rebounds per game. It's a different story for St. Mary's, though, as they've been averaging only 29.4 rebounds per game. Given Winside's sizeable advantage in that area, St. Mary's will need to find a way to close that gap.
Winside was taken down by St. Mary's 66-28 when the teams last played back in January of 2022. The game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Winside was down 43-16.
