Basketball Game Preview: Winside Wildcats vs. Stanton Mustangs

The Winside Wildcats will head out on the road to face off against the Stanton Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

It was a proper cat-fight when Winside duked it out with Osmond on Thursday. Winside was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 39-38 to Osmond. The Wildcats have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Winside's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Bridget Marotz, who posted ten points in addition to eight rebounds and three steals, and Hadleigh Schutt, who scored 17 points. Schutt continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Stanton, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They snuck past Wisner-Pilger with a 48-42 victory on Monday. The Mustangs haven't had any issues with the Gators recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.

Winside better keep an eye on Olivia Hupp. She was instrumental in Stanton's win, dropping a double-double on 16 points and 13 boards. Hupp is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last seven games she's played. Another player making a difference was Hayden Dixon, who went 5 of 9 on her way to 13 points.

Winside's loss dropped their record down to 5-16. As for Stanton, their victory bumped their record up to 13-7.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Winside has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Stanton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Winside took a serious blow against Stanton in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 49-14. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Winside was down 29-7.