The Maywood/Hayes Center Wolves will take on the Wauneta-Palisade Broncos at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both have had a bumpy ride up to this point with four consecutive losses for Maywood/Hayes Center and nine for Wauneta-Palisade.
Maywood/Hayes Center saw some tournament action on Saturday. They fell to Paxton 41-37.
Despite the loss, Maywood/Hayes Center had strong showings from Kody Schwenk, who posted nine points and five boards, and Keenan Richards, who had eight points and ten rebounds. Richards has become a key player for Maywood/Hayes Center: the team is 5-2 when he posts at least eight rebounds, but 4-5 otherwise.
Even though they lost, Maywood/Hayes Center smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 27 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Wauneta-Palisade played a tough game on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were beaten by Cambridge 63-26. The Broncos were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 33-12.
Despite the defeat, Wauneta-Palisade saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Kaden Dorn earned nine points and seven boards. Dorn continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Aaden Wheeler also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.
Wauneta-Palisade's loss dropped their record down to 1-13. As for Maywood/Hayes Center, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Maywood/Hayes Center has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 34.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Wauneta-Palisade struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Maywood/Hayes Center against Wauneta-Palisade in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, as the team secured a 75-32 victory. In that contest, Maywood/Hayes Center amassed a halftime lead of 47-18, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Tuesday.
