Even though the New Underwood Tigers have not done well against the Harding County Ranchers recently (they were 0-8 in their previous eight matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. New Underwood came out on top against Harding County by a score of 51-39. The win was familiar territory for New Underwood who now have three in a row.
Leading New Underwood to victory were Jaxon Fulton and Cash Albers. Fulton scored 13 points along with three steals, while Albers scored 21 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Albers is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Linkin Ballard, who scored three points along with three steals and two blocks.
Several Ranchers players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Payton Dvorak, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. Dvorak is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. Cohen Smith was another key contributor, scoring nine points.
New Underwood's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-4. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.3 points per game. As for Harding County, they are on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 6-7.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. New Underwood will take on Philip at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Harding County will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Tiospaye Topa at 8:00 p.m. on February 8th.
