Black Hills is 3-0 against River Ridge since December of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Black Hills Wolves will welcome the River Ridge Hawks at 5:30 p.m. Black Hills is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 56.2 points per game this season.
Black Hills is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Onalaska just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Saturday. They took a 60-49 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Loggers. The contest marked the Wolves' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
| 12/28/24 vs Onalaska | 3 |
| 12/17/24 vs Hoquiam | 6 |
| 12/14/24 @ Yelm | 3 |
| 12/09/24 vs Elma | 5 |
| 12/06/24 vs Castle Rock | 2 |
| 12/03/24 @ Elma | 6 |
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Kiley McMahon, who posted 21 points in addition to six boards and three steals. McMahon is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least two every time she's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Natalie Buchanan, who had 12 points and seven rebounds.
Even though they lost, Black Hills smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in seven consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
While River Ridge didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Seattle Academy on Saturday, sneaking past 40-37.
River Ridge found their leader in sophomore Jayla Cavalier, who almost dropped a triple-double on ten points, nine steals, and nine blocks. Those nine steals set a new season-high mark for Cavalier. Another player making a difference was Brandi Stanford, who posted eight points in addition to six steals and five assists.
River Ridge has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. As for Black Hills, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 5-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Black Hills has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 41.5 boards per game. However, it's not like River Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Black Hills didn't have too much breathing room in their game against River Ridge in their previous matchup back in November of 2023, but they still walked away with a 65-60 victory. Does Black Hills have another victory up their sleeve, or will River Ridge turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
