Preview: Fort Calhoun Pioneers vs. Concordia Mustangs
After two games on the road, Fort Calhoun is heading back home. They will take on the Concordia Mustangs at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Fort Calhoun is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Concordia in Nebraska (Fort Calhoun is ranked 77th, while Concordia is ranked 212th).
Fort Calhoun stacked a fourth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Tuesday. They really took it to Louisville for the full four quarters, racking up a 47-16 victory on the road. With Fort Calhoun ahead 33-4 at the half, the match was all but over already.
Bria Bench and Raeann Massey were among the main playmakers for Fort Calhoun as the former scored 12 points along with five steals and two blocks and the latter scored 11 points along with seven steals and five rebounds. Bench hasn't dropped below two steals for 11 straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Ansley Elofson, who scored seven points along with eight rebounds and five steals.
Meanwhile, Concordia's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their fourth straight loss. They were dealt a 62-33 loss at the hands of Bishop Neumann. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat Concordia has suffered since December 9, 2023.
Despite the defeat, Concordia saw an underclassman step up: Charis Hughes scored nine points along with seven rebounds.
Fort Calhoun is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. As for Concordia, they bumped their record down to 2-9 with that defeat, which was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season.
Tuesday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Fort Calhoun have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 31.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Concordia struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 30.2 rebounds per game. Given Fort Calhoun's sizeable advantage in that area, Concordia will need to find a way to close that gap.
Fort Calhoun beat Concordia 44-35 when the teams last played back in December of 2022. Does Fort Calhoun have another victory up their sleeve, or will Concordia turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
