Emporia is 0-10 against Washburn Rural since December of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Emporia Spartans just played last night, but they'll still head out to face the Washburn Rural Blues at 7:30 p.m. on February 23rd. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are closely ranked in Kansas (Emporia is ranked 69th, while Washburn Rural is ranked 68th).
Emporia scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Paola 83-36 on the road. The team's offensive explosion also rewarded Emporia with their most commanding win of the season.
Meanwhile, Washburn Rural entered their tilt with Manhattan with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Washburn Rural narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Manhattan 48-46.
John Hoytal and Kaden Ballard were among the main playmakers for Washburn Rural as the former scored 13 points along with five steals and the latter scored 16 points along with three steals and two blocks. It was the first time this season that Ballard posted two or more blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of King Leonard, who scored five points.
Emporia's record now sits at 12-7. As for Washburn Rural, they now have a winning record of 10-9.
Emporia ended up a good deal behind Washburn Rural in their previous matchup on February 2nd, losing 48-31. Can Emporia avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
