Basketball Game Preview: Montezuma Braves vs. Keota Eagles

Montezuma is 10-0 against Keota since January of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. After both having extra time off, the two teams will dust off their jerseys to challenge one another at 6:00 p.m. Montezuma is coming into the contest hot, having won their last five games.

Last Friday, Montezuma strolled past Sigourney with points to spare, taking the game 64-46.

Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Keota challenged Lynnville-Sully last Friday. Keota was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 50-49 to Lynnville-Sully. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Iowa basketball rankings (they are ranked 273rd, while the Hawks are ranked 96th).

Montezuma pushed their record up to 5-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.8 points per game. As for Keota, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-6 record this season.

Everything came up roses for Montezuma against Keota in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, as the squad secured a 60-16 win. Will Montezuma repeat their success, or does Keota have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.