Basketball Game Preview: Pawnee City Indians vs. Bruning-Davenport/Shickley Eagles

The Pawnee City Indians will take on the Bruning-Davenport/Shickley Eagles in a tournament on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Pawnee City will bounce into Thursday's game after beating Sterling, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Pawnee City snuck past Sterling with a 43-38 victory on Monday.

Pawnee City's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kinsley Benson, who posted 19 points and six steals. The dominant performance gave Benson a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Cara Pierce, who put up ten points in addition to seven rebounds and five assists.

Meanwhile, Bruning-Davenport/Shickley made easy work of Lewiston on Monday and carried off a 35-12 victory. The contest marked the Eagles' most dominant win of the season.

Pawnee City better keep an eye on Campbell Bohling. She was instrumental in Bruning-Davenport/Shickley's win, putting up eight points along with eight rebounds and three steals. Bohling has been hot recently, having posted eight or more boards the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Alexis Hergott, who posted five points and six assists.

Bruning-Davenport/Shickley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.

Pawnee City's record now sits at 3-7. As for Bruning-Davenport/Shickley, their record is now 6-7.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Pawnee City has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Bruning-Davenport/Shickley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Pawnee City was taken down by Bruning-Davenport/Shickley 60-18 in their previous meeting back in January of 2022. Can Pawnee City avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.