Bucklin is 6-1 against Macksville since February of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Bucklin Red Aces will be playing at home against the Macksville Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Bucklin sitting on four straight victories and Macksville on three.
Even though Bucklin has not done well against Spearville recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Bucklin strolled past Spearville with points to spare, taking the game 41-27.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Bucklin to victory, but perhaps none more so than Emmerson Kirk, who scored 18 points. Kirk is trending in the right direction, as she's improved her point production for four games straight. Sydnie Jones was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with four blocks.
Meanwhile, Macksville stacked a sixth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 53-19 win over Kinsley at home. Given Macksville's advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 114th, while Kinsley is ranked 259th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Macksville's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Mayce Russell, who scored 14 points along with seven assists and six steals. Russell has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Logan Sanders, who scored eight points along with nine rebounds.
Bucklin is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-3 record this season. As for Macksville, their win bumped their record up to 10-5.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Bucklin have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Macksville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Bucklin strolled past Macksville in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 by a score of 51-32. Does Bucklin have another victory up their sleeve, or will Macksville turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
