The Braxton County Eagles will challenge the Ritchie County Rebels at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Braxton County took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They blew past Clay County, posting a 46-17 win. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Eagles as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
| 01/27/25 vs Clay County | 11 |
| 01/14/25 @ Calhoun | 9 |
| 12/21/24 @ Tygarts Valley | 9 |
| 12/31/24 vs Montcalm | 8 |
| 12/13/24 @ Clay County | 7 |
Braxton County found their leader in sophomore Rylan Criner, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds. Those 11 boards gave Criner a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Bailey Pritt, who posted eight points in addition to five rebounds and three steals.
Meanwhile, Ritchie County strolled past Doddridge County with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 45-30. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Rebels.
Braxton County better focus on containing Elsa Law and Emily Bush as the pair were huge in Ritchie County's win. Law earned eight points along with eight assists and seven steals, while Bush went 5 of 8 en route to 11 points and five boards. Bush is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for four straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Rae Rupert, who put up six points and 17 rebounds.
Ritchie County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in six consecutive games.
Braxton County's win bumped their record up to 4-7. As for Ritchie County, their victory bumped their record up to 9-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Braxton County has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Ritchie County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 39.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Braxton County strolled past Ritchie County when the teams last played back in February of 2018 by a score of 69-50. Will Braxton County repeat their success, or does Ritchie County have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
