Tiospaye Topa is on a three-game streak of home losses, Harding County a three-game streak of away losses, but someone's luck will change on Thursday. The Tiospaye Topa Thunderhawks will welcome the Harding County Ranchers at 7:30 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Tiospaye Topa is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Sioux Valley on Saturday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Tiospaye Topa was dealt a 66-25 loss at the hands of Sioux Valley. The Thunderhawks were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 42-14.
Tiospaye Topa's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Andrei Hojas, who posted eight points, and Jacolby Rousseau, who had ten points and four steals. Steven Garnett was another key player, putting up four points and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Harding County scored the most points they've had this season on Tuesday, but it wasn't enough. They fell just short of Grant County co-op [Carson/Elgin-New Leipzig/Mott-Regent] by a score of 67-65. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Ranchers have suffered since January 9, 2024.
Tiospaye Topa will need to focus on slowing down Cohen Smith, one of several Harding County players who made an impact when they last played. He went 8-for-19 en route to 18 points. Another player making a difference was Evan Meyer, who went 5-for-8 to rack up 11 points and four steals.
Tiospaye Topa's defeat dropped their record down to 4-10. As for Harding County, their loss dropped their record down to 5-8.
Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's contest: Tiospaye Topa has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 34.6% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Harding County, though, as they've only made 25.4% of their three-pointers this season. Given Tiospaye Topa's sizable advantage in that area, Harding County will need to find a way to close that gap.
Tiospaye Topa was taken down by Harding County 70-34 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Thankfully for Tiospaye Topa, Payton Dvorak (who went 8-for-16 on his way to 17 points in addition to six boards and four steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
