Aplington-Parkersburg will host West Fork in a non-conference basketball doubleheader Thursday, which’ll air on 99 The Wave and RadioOnTheGo’s YouTube channel.
The #10 (2A) Falcon boys will look to keep their offense rolling, having scored 80 or more points in two straight games. Since Benny Waller’s return from injury, he’s led the team in scoring with 22.8 per game and rebounds with 9.6 per game.
“We’re almost through that grind where sometimes you get to that January 20, right in this range where it can get kind of benign, and it gets long, and we’ve been practicing,” Head Coach Aaron Thomas says. “And you turn the page to February and then postseason is looming. So everybody usually gets a burst. I think with Benny coming back, that’s given us a little juice, made us different. We’re working through things. We definitely haven’t peaked early this year by any stretch, but we’ve just got to keep working defensively as a unit. We’ve got to make sure offensively that everybody knows. We spent probably 25 minutes just walking through our sets and plays to make sure everybody had them down, everybody’s on the same page, because we’re playing maybe different positions than we were prior to Benny being back. So just really proud of the group, the maturity, how they’ve all handled this and how hard they keep playing.”
West Fork has won three straight, including 66-56 over Central Springs Tuesday. It’s a season-long streak to get the team within one game of .500. Head Coach Abe Maske says they’re working to become their best in February.
“We talk about playing for the person next to you that’s on the floor and on the bench,” Maske says. “Because ultimately that’s who they’re playing for. And if they do that, like we did against Northwood-Kensett, I think we’re going to be in good shape, but it’s going to come down to consistency and then playing with full effort every second of every minute that we’re on the floor. They’re playing well together, and I like where we’re at right now. And if we can stay consistent, I think we’re going to be a team that is going to be feared come postseason, regardless of where we may get seeded, because they’re going to know we’re a team that’s coming in, playing well, and is very capable.”
The girls game will feature two teams on win streaks. The Falcons have won two straight and the Warhawks have won four straight. It’ll be the first meeting between the programs since 2017.
Pregame coverage will start at 6:00 p.m., followed by the tipoff at 6:15.
