The Ainsworth Bulldogs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matches by 31 points or more this season. They took their contest at home on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 72-39 win over Burwell. Given Ainsworth's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 56th, while Burwell is ranked 262nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ainsworth got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Trey Appelt out in front who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 16 rebounds. The matchup was Appelt's seventh in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter Nelson, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten rebounds.
Ainsworth's victory bumped their record up to 6-1. As for Burwell, they bumped their record down to 1-5 with that loss, which was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season.
Ainsworth will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Minden at 7:30 p.m. on January 5, 2024. Burwell will be home for the holidays to greet Elba at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Elba comes in still looking for their first win of the season.
