Basketball Game Preview: Lincoln Northwest Falcons vs. Waverly Vikings

The Lincoln Northwest Falcons will head out to face off against the Waverly Vikings at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Lincoln Northwest has struggled recently with 33 defeats in a row, while Waverly will arrive with three straight wins.

Lincoln Northwest is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Crete on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Lincoln Northwest was dealt a 66-14 loss at the hands of Crete. While losing is never fun, the Falcons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 237th, while the Cardinals are ranked 88th).

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Waverly's strategy against Hastings on Thursday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Waverly blew Hastings out of the water with a 54-18 final score. The Vikings have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six games by 20 points or more this season.

Lincoln Northwest better keep an eye on Annie Harms. She was instrumental in Waverly's win, putting up 19 points. That's the most points Harms has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Parker Christiansen, who earned nine points.

Waverly's victory was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.6 points over those games. As for Lincoln Northwest, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-16.

Lincoln Northwest took a serious blow against Waverly when the teams last played back in February of 2024, falling 71-27. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Lincoln Northwest was down 37-14.