Basketball Game Preview: Standing Bear Grizzlies vs. Gretna East Griffins

The Standing Bear Grizzlies will take on the Gretna East Griffins at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Tuesday, Standing Bear was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 65-59 to Lincoln Northwest. The Grizzlies have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, Gretna East posted their biggest victory since January 7th on Tuesday. They breezed by Waverly to the tune of 70-42. Given the Griffins' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 26th, while the Vikings are ranked 170th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Standing Bear better keep an eye on Talan Hovie. He was instrumental in Gretna East's win, going 8 of 12 on his way to 23 points. Those 23 points gave Hovie a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Grant Rice, who posted eight points and six rebounds.

Gretna East was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Waverly only racked up eight assists.

Gretna East's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-6. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.5 points per game. As for Standing Bear, their loss dropped their record down to 3-12.