Golden Plains and Wheatland-Grinnell squared off in some playoff action on Saturday, but Golden Plains had to settle for second. They fell 56-43 to the Wheatland-Grinnell Thunderhawks. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 215th, while the Thunderhawks are ranked 92nd).
Kailee Wessel
| 12/14/24 vs St. Francis | 17 |
| 01/24/25 @ Weskan | 16 |
| 12/06/24 vs Cheylin | 14 |
| 03/01/25 @ Wheatland-Grinnell | 12 |
| 01/17/25 @ Triplains/Brewster | 12 |
| + 17 more games |
Golden Plains lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Kailee Wessel, who dropped a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards. Golden Plains is 10-5 when Wessel posts eight or more rebounds, but 3-4 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Brenlynn Rath, who posted ten points and eight boards.
Even though they lost, Golden Plains 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 six consecutive matches.
Wheatland-Grinnell got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Natalie Bixenman out in front who shot 55% from the field to rack up 17 points along with six assists and four steals. Bixenman is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in each of the last four games she's played. Aliviah Ball was another key player, putting up eight points in addition to nine rebounds and eight blocks.
Golden Plains' loss was their fourth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 13-9. As for Wheatland-Grinnell, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season.
Golden Plains does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Wheatland-Grinnell, they will square off against Wallace County at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Wheatland-Grinnell is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.2 points per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
