Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 12 to 5 on the offensive boards, a fact the Southwest Roughriders proved on Tuesday. They rang in the new year with a 43-35 victory over Hitchcock County. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Southwest.
Southwest found their leader in underclassman Kyra Nelms, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 12 rebounds. Those 12 rebounds set a new season-high mark for her. The team also got some help courtesy of Allison Vanpelt, who scored ten points.
When it comes to explaining why Hitchcock County lost, one person who can't be blamed is Katie Jarecke. Despite the final result, she scored 16 points along with six steals. Jarecke 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. Asia Homma was another key contributor, scoring four points.
The victory got Southwest back to even at 5-5. As for Hitchcock County, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-6.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Southwest will take on Cambridge at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Cambridge focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 24 on Tuesday. As for Hitchcock County, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Wauneta-Palisade on Friday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Nebraska (Wauneta-Palisade is ranked 142nd, while Hitchcock County is ranked 165th).
