The Weld Central Rebels will be playing in front of their home fans against the University Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Weld Central focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 24 on Saturday.
Weld Central suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Saturday. They were dealt a 73-24 defeat at the hands of Eaton. Weld Central has not had much luck with Eaton recently, as the team's come up short the last four times they've met.
Weld Central's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Auburn Thoene, who scored eight points, and Isabel Weisenborn who scored six points along with five rebounds and two steals. Weisenborn has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last five times she's played.
Meanwhile, University came tearing into Wednesday's matchup with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 33.6 points) and they left with even more momentum. They enjoyed a cozy 53-37 win over Eaton. Given University's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 29th, while Eaton is ranked 91st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
University's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Allizzey Madrigal, who scored 11 points along with six steals and five rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Madrigal has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Addison Harding, who scored nine points along with eight rebounds and three blocks.
Weld Central dropped their record down to 4-9 with that defeat, which was their fourth straight on the road. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 26.3 points per game. As for University, their victory bumped their record up to 13-2.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Weld Central have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like University struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Weld Central was taken down by University 53-17 in their previous meeting back in February of 2023. Can Weld Central avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
