HUDSON — Hitting the road for a doubleheader in their neighbor’s gym, the River Falls Wildcats split a boys and girls basketball bout in Hudson. The boys secured a 79-64 win while the girls were bested in the nightcap 66-38.

The boys have now won four out of five games to improve to 6-4 on the year with a 2-1 conference record.

“It was a good win for our team. I thought we executed really well on the offensive end, got really good shots. Didn’t always finish them, but got the looks we want,” Head Coach Zach Turpin said. “Defensively, we really executed our gameplan well. We made some things difficult for Hudson.”

Turpin said after a shaky first few minutes on the glass, the Wildcats did a nice job of limiting Hudson to one chance offensively.

The Raiders are led by a dynamic duo of senior Jace Mataczynski (averages 21.6 points per game) and junior Alexander Healy (averages 15.9 points per game). The two can create scoring chances for themselves and their teammates, making them tough to guard.

“I don’t think we stopped them. It’s more just trying to make it as difficult as we possibly can,” Turpin said. “Make sure that they’re having to defend us on defense to try and take some energy away there. They’re really two players that I think you’d have a hard time completely stopping just because they play so well off of each other.”

The duo lived up to the hype Friday night, with Mataczynski scoring 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting and Healy scoring 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Turpin said they are so tough to face off against because if you hone the defense in on one of them, the other will make you pay.

Leading 39-35 at half, the Wildcats were even better in the second half to truly pull away.

“Our boys did a really nice job of not settling for jump shots, but working really hard to get layups,” Turpin said. “Our offense was really built on how well we defended.”

Brody Graetz had a big game with 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting, joined by Austin Stellrecht with 14 and Tanner Bottolfson with 13 in double-figures.

With every Big Rivers Conference team playing either three or four conference matchups, every single squad already has a conference loss to their name. Getting a rivalry win on the road becomes even more massive with the conference depth taking form.

“The way it’s shaping up, every game’s important. Any time you can go on the road and get a win this year, it’s going to be extra important,” Turpin said. “Nobody seems invincible and nobody seems to the point where they can’t win a game.”

The girls did not have the same success, falling to 7-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play. Hudson is setting the pace in the league, leaping out to a 9-2 record with an untouched 4-0 conference tally.

Hudson put the foot on the gas and did not look back, leading 34-19 at the half and finishing the game with a 66-38 victory.

For the Wildcats, the game serves as just a minor setback, remaining in the heart of the conference with months of basketball yet to be played.