Two dominant players in Jordyn Ratzlaff and Bria Bench are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Howells-Dodge Jaguars and the Fort Calhoun Pioneers will face off at 4:30 p.m. on December 29th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Hopefully Howells-Dodge focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 14 last Saturday.
Howells-Dodge struggled with offensive rebounds last Saturday (Clarkson/Leigh had eight more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Howells-Dodge lost to Clarkson/Leigh at home by a decisive 50-34 margin. It was the first time this season that Howells-Dodge let down their fans at home.
Despite the loss, Howells-Dodge saw an underclassman step up: Kenadie Throener scored eight points. Natalie Pieper was another key contributor, scoring three points.
Meanwhile, Fort Calhoun waltzed into their matchup last Tuesday with two straight wins but they left with three. They took their game on the road with ease, bagging a 65-26 win over Ralston. The match was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 40-17.
Bench and Raeann Massey were among the main playmakers for Fort Calhoun as the former scored 13 points along with six steals and five rebounds and the latter scored 19 points along with three steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Massey has scored at least 25% of Fort Calhoun's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ansley Elofson, who scored 12 points along with seven steals.
Howells-Dodge's loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 4-4. As for Fort Calhoun, their win bumped their record up to 5-2.
Friday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: Howells-Dodge have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 24.5 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Fort Calhoun, though, as they've been averaging only 34.7 rebounds per game. Given Howells-Dodge's sizeable advantage in that area, Fort Calhoun will need to find a way to close that gap. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
