The Mullen Broncos will square off against the Medicine Valley Raiders at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Mullen has five straight wins, Medicine Valley has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.
Mullen is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Arthur County: they outscored them in every quarter. Mullen blew past Arthur County 45-21 on Thursday. The Broncos have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matches by 24 points or more this season.
| 01/16/25 @ Arthur County | 4 |
| 01/11/25 @ Wallace | 3 |
| 01/10/25 vs Brady | 2 |
| 01/03/25 vs Ainsworth | 3 |
| 12/20/24 vs Cody-Kilgore | 3 |
Jenna Donohoe and Hayley Donohoe were among the main playmakers for Mullen as the former posted four points in addition to ten steals and six rebounds and the latter went 7 of 16 on her way to 15 points along with five boards and four steals. Hayley is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last ten games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Georgia Wingebach, who had five points.
Mullen smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 16 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Medicine Valley played a tough game on Thursday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They took a blow against Dundy County-Stratton, falling 55-21. The Raiders were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 33-3.
Mullen will have to keep a close watch on Haylie Gustafson and Kamree Elsten, a pair of players who had a big impact on Medicine Valley's prior game. Gustafson went 5 for 10 en route to 10 points and six boards, while Elsten scored four points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. Those seven rebounds gave Elsten a new career-high.
Medicine Valley's loss dropped their record down to 1-11. As for Mullen, their victory bumped their record up to 8-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Mullen has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Medicine Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Mullen came up short against Medicine Valley in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 46-35. Thankfully for Mullen, Stella Heapy (who went 8 of 17 on her way to 20 points along with eight steals and five assists) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.