It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but the Ponca Indians ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Wayne 54-51. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Ponca also won the last time the pair played back in December of 2022.
Ponca found their leader in underclassman Emerson Ehlers, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 15 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Aix Hughes, who scored 15 points along with nine rebounds and four steals.
Despite the loss, Wayne saw an underclassman step up: Haley Kramer scored 15 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Another player making a difference was Frantzdie Barner, who scored 13 points along with four steals.
Even though they lost, Wayne were working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Ponca only posted seven assists.
Ponca's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 1-1. They've been dominating during the matchups in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 31.44 points. As for Wayne, their loss dropped their record down to 0-2.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Ponca will take on Osmond/Randolph at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Allowing an average of 75 points per game, Osmond/Randolph has struggled on the defensive end, but that doesn't have to be the case in this contest. As for Wayne, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Wakefield at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Nebraska (Wakefield is ranked 191st, while Wayne is ranked 172nd).
