This season hasn't been kind to the Northern Heights Wildcats, who are still winless after their fifth match. They took a 61-48 hit to the loss column at the hands of Council Grove on Friday. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Northern Heights in their matchups with Council Grove: they've now lost five in a row.
Leading Council Grove to victory were Kolby Rose and Brycen Palmquist. Rose scored 16 points along with six rebounds and four steals, while Palmquist scored 16 points along with six rebounds and four steals. That makes it five consecutive games in which Palmquist has scored at least 25% of Council Grove's points. Another player making a difference was Hayden Buttrey, who scored two points along with eight assists and four steals.
Northern Heights bumped their record down to 0-5 with that loss, which was their third straight at home. Those losses could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 29.3 points per game. As for Council Grove, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 1-4.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Northern Heights will square off against Chase County on Tuesday. Chase County presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Northern Heights in Kansas (Chase County is ranked 91st, while Northern Heights is ranked 308th). As for Council Grove, they will head out on the road to face off against Hillsboro at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
