The Axtell Wildcats's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their tenth straight loss. They ended up on the wrong side of a rough 41-15 walloping at the hands of Wilcox-Hildreth. While losing is never fun, Axtell can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 266th, while Wilcox-Hildreth is ranked 122nd).
Despite the defeat, Axtell saw an underclassman step up: Bristol Thorell scored four points.
Madison Bunger continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines for Wilcox-Hildreth, almost dropping a triple-double on 18 points, 15 rebounds, and nine blocks. Bunger has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last 11 times she's played. Cara Bunger was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with five assists and three steals.
Axtell's defeat was their seventh straight at home, which dropped their record down to 1-14. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 12.9 points per game. As for Wilcox-Hildreth, they are on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season.
Axtell will head out on the road to take on Hi-Line [Eustis-Farnam/Elwood] on Thursday. Hi-Line [Eustis-Farnam/Elwood] comes in on a streak of failing to score more than 24 points in their last nine games, a trend the squad is of course eager to reverse. Wilcox-Hildreth won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Amherst at 4:00 p.m. on January 20th.
