The Southern Hoiho will have to find another way to win when they play the Mainland Pouākai in Christchurch tonight.
Richards has a strain in the Achilles area and missed the 71-69 win over the Whai in Tauranga on Friday night.
She is a big loss, but the Hoiho have suffered another major setback.
Prechtel coped a heavy knock to the head in Friday’s match. While she returned to the court after a couple of minutes, she has since experienced concussion symptoms and has been ruled out.
Coach Todd Marshall is hopeful she will return for Sunday’s match against the Whai in Queenstown.
"The doctor will be the guiding light on that," he said.
Prechtel has been in impressive form for the Hoiho. She has collected double-doubles in five of the six games she has played and leads the league in rebounding (15.8) and blocks (3.8).
"Absolutely, she is a big loss. And size will be an issue for us [against the Pouākai].
"But we’ve got a squad for a reason and we’re going to have to spread the load, a bit like we did when Zoe wasn’t there."
Former Southern Steel netball goal shoot Jen O’Connell will likely be elevated from the bench to the starting five. At the very least, the back-up centre will get a lot more court time.
But the Hoiho will also have to lean more heavily on their talented guard lineup.
Import point guard Paige Bradley has helped set the tempo for the Hoiho and her passing game has been a big asset. Her experience and game knowledge have been critical in the Hoiho’s run of five wins from six games.
She will have to take on even more responsibility in Prechtel’s absence, while Australian shooting guard Ahlise Hurst is another who the Hoiho will hope to squeeze more out of.
One player the visitors will have to give extra attention to is Jasmine Dickey. She is the competition's leading scorer with 25.3 points a game.
The Pouākai are winless in five games but came close to achieving a breakthrough win against the Hoiho, losing 75-74 on July 27.
