Nitro has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They just played last night, but they'll still head out to face the Ripley Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on January 24th. Nitro knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past three matchups -- so hopefully Ripley likes a good challenge.
Nitro put the finishing touches on their fifth blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They blew past Poca, posting a 69-22 victory at home. Given Nitro's advantage in MaxPreps' West Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked ninth, while Poca is ranked 77th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Natalie Smith was her usual excellent self, scoring 16 points along with seven rebounds and three blocks. She has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Hailey Newsome, who scored ten points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, Ripley ended up a good deal behind Chapmanville Regional on Monday and lost 51-37. Ripley has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Nitro's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.8 points per game. As for Ripley, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-7 record this season.
Nitro strolled past Ripley in their previous matchup two weeks ago by a score of 55-40. The rematch might be a little tougher for Nitro since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
