Nitro is 10-0 against Poca since February of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Nitro Wildcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the Poca The Dots at 7:00 p.m. The timing is sure in Nitro's favor as the squad sits on three straight wins at home while Poca has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
Last Saturday, Nitro faced Philip Barbour in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Everything went Nitro's way against Philip Barbour as Nitro made off with a 81-59 win. Nitro has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 21 points or more this season.
Nitro's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Karson Jones, who scored 18 points along with eight rebounds and two blocks, and Natalie Smith, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 13 rebounds. Mika Adams was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with two steals.
Poca suffered their biggest loss since December 4, 2023 on Thursday. They suffered a tough 69-45 loss at the hands of Sissonville. While losing is never fun, Poca can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' West Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 80th, while Sissonville is ranked 20th).
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Chloe Wheeler, who scored four points along with seven rebounds and six assists. She hasn't dropped below two steals for five straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Shiloh Harding, who scored nine points.
Even though they lost, Poca were working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Nitro's victory bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Poca, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost seven of their last nine matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season.
Keep an eye on the arc in Tuesday's game: Nitro have been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 38.3% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Poca, though, as they've only made 27.6% of their threes per game this season. Given Nitro's sizeable advantage in that area, Poca will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Nitro against Poca when the teams last played back in November of 2023 as the squad secured a 82-38 win. Does Nitro have another victory up their sleeve, or will Poca turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
