Atchison County is 9-1 against Valley Falls since January of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Atchison County Tigers will be playing at home against the Valley Falls Dragons at 6:00 p.m. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Kansas (Atchison County is ranked 265th, while Valley Falls is ranked 250th).
Last Monday, it was a hard-fought contest, but Atchison County had to settle for a 33-30 loss against Jefferson County North.
Atchison County's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Kinzee Bauerle, who scored 18 points along with three steals, and Madison Martin who scored 11 points along with six rebounds and four blocks. Bauerle has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last five times she's played.
Meanwhile, Valley Falls scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 66-16 victory over McLouth. The team's offensive explosion also rewarded Valley Falls with their most commanding win of the season.
Valley Falls had a senior duo take command as Korie Kirkwood scored 20 points along with seven steals and five rebounds and Lauren Brown scored 14 points along with six rebounds and five steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Brown has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Cali DeLong, who scored eight points along with two steals.
Atchison County has traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season. As for Valley Falls, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-7.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Atchison County have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Valley Falls struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Atchison County came up short against Valley Falls in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 44-34. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Kirkwood, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds. Now that Atchison County knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
