The Bluestem Lions (Leon, KS) basketball nipped the host West Elk Patriots (Howard, KS), 36-33 in Friday's non-league test.

The Lions (8-1) will now prepare for their test against Halstead (Halstead, KS). The Dragons go into the non-league test with a 4-4 record. In their last test, Halstead was tipped by Clearwater (Clearwater, KS), 47-30, in a non-league test.

The Patriots now own a 3-4 record. They play next when they host Central for a South Central Border test on Tuesday, January 10. West Elk will encounter a Raiders squad coming off a 55-19 non-league loss to Pretty Prairie (Pretty Prairie, KS). The Raiders record now stands at 2-5.