After two games on the road, Winnebago is heading back home. They will take on the Santee Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Winnebago focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up seven on Tuesday.
Last Tuesday, Winnebago slipped by Wakefield 43-42.
Winnebago relied on the efforts of Jolon Blackbird, who scored 14 points along with three steals, and Tressa BigBear, who scored 16 points along with three blocks and two steals. BigBear is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last five games she's played.
Meanwhile, Santee's recent rough patch got a bit rougher two weeks ago after their third straight defeat. They took a serious blow against West Holt, falling 57-16. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Santee has scored all season.
Despite the defeat, Santee saw an underclassman step up: Miley Pike scored 11 points. That was a full 68.8% of Santee's points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Winnebago's win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-10. As for Santee, they have been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season.
Thursday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Winnebago have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.1 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Santee, though, as they've been averaging only 14.8 rebounds per game. Given Winnebago's sizable advantage in that area, Santee will need to find a way to close that gap.
Winnebago was able to grind out a solid win over Santee in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, winning 67-58. Does Winnebago have another victory up their sleeve, or will Santee turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
