The Niobrara/Verdigre Cougars will head out on the road to take on the Ainsworth Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Niobrara/Verdigre is looking to tack on another W to their seven-game streak on the road.
Niobrara/Verdigre can now show off nine landslide victories after their most recent contest on Friday. They blew past Boyd County 72-47. Given Niobrara/Verdigre's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 67th, while Boyd County is ranked 218th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Josilyn Miller was her usual excellent self, almost dropping a double-double on 25 points and nine steals. She also posted eight assists for the first time this season. Bella Boyd was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Meanwhile, Ainsworth's game on Tuesday was all tied up 17-17 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They enjoyed a cozy 46-32 win over West Holt.
Ainsworth's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jocelyn Good led the charge by scoring 17 points along with eight rebounds and three blocks. Good has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last four times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kendyl Delimont, who scored ten points along with three steals.
Niobrara/Verdigre has been performing well recently as they've won 13 of their last 16 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-6 record this season. Ainsworth's record is now 13-9.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Niobrara/Verdigre have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Ainsworth struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Niobrara/Verdigre came up short against Ainsworth in their previous matchup back in February of 2018, falling 54-50. Thankfully for Niobrara/Verdigre, Rylee Rice (who almost dropped a triple-double on 17 points, 13 rebounds, and nine steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
