The Wauneta-Palisade Broncos will head out to face off against the Maywood/Hayes Center Wolves at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Wauneta-Palisade has now lost nine straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since December 14.
Wauneta-Palisade is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Cambridge on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Wauneta-Palisade was outmatched by Cambridge and fell 63-26. The Broncos were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 33-12.
Despite the loss, Wauneta-Palisade saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Kaden Dorn posted nine points and seven rebounds. Dorn is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. Aaden Wheeler also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.
Meanwhile, Maywood/Hayes Center was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They were four points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 41-37 heartbreaker at the hands of Paxton.
Wauneta-Palisade will have to keep a close watch on Kody Schwenk and Keenan Richards, a pair of players who had a big impact on Maywood/Hayes Center's prior game. Schwenk put up nine points and five boards, while Richards scored eight points and ten rebounds. Maywood/Hayes Center is 5-2 when Richards posts eight or more boards, but 4-5 otherwise.
Even though they lost, Maywood/Hayes Center smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 27 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Maywood/Hayes Center's loss dropped their record down to 9-7. As for Wauneta-Palisade, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-13.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Wauneta-Palisade has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 23.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Maywood/Hayes Center struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Wauneta-Palisade was dealt a bruising 75-32 loss at the hands of Maywood/Hayes Center in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Wauneta-Palisade was down 47-18.
