On Wednesday, the Nitro Wildcats faced the Ripley Vikings in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Nitro took down Ripley 55-40. Winning is a bit easier when you work as a team to rack up ten more assists than your opponent, as Nitro did.
It was another big night for Natalie Smith, who scored 23 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Hailey Newsome, who scored six points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Ripley's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Abigail Eastman, who scored six points along with eight rebounds and two steals. Another player making a difference was Sophie Nichols, who scored 24 points.
Nitro's win bumped their record up to 8-2. As for Ripley, they bumped their record down to 6-5 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road.
Nitro will be playing at home against Philip Barbour at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in West Virginia (Philip Barbour is ranked 14th, while Nitro is ranked tenth). As for Ripley, they will face off against Keyser at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
