Basketball Game Preview: Lincoln Northeast Rockets vs. Omaha Northwest Huskies

The Lincoln Northeast Rockets will take on the Omaha Northwest Huskies at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Lincoln Northeast will be strutting in after a victory while Omaha Northwest will be coming in after a defeat.

Lincoln Northeast is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Fremont: they outscored them in every quarter. Lincoln Northeast enjoyed a cozy 52-34 win over Fremont on Saturday. The victory continues a trend for the Rockets in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won three in a row.

Brynna Renard

Field Goal Percentage

02/15/25 @ Fremont	67%
02/14/25 vs Papillion-LaVista South	57%
02/08/25 vs Sioux City East	50%
02/07/25 @ Omaha South	67%
02/04/25 @ Buena Vista	55%
+ 15 more games

Lincoln Northeast found their leader in freshman Brynna Renard, who dropped a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Thanks to that strong game, Renard now owns an excellent 45.9% field goal percentage. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayla Merrill, who posted nine points and four steals.

Meanwhile, Omaha Northwest didn't have quite enough to beat South Sioux City on Saturday and fell 52-49. The loss continues a trend for the Huskies in their matchups with the Cardinals: they've now lost three in a row.

Lincoln Northeast will have to contain Abriya Watkins as she made an impact in Omaha Northwest's last game. She dropped a double-double with 22 points and 15 boards. That was a full 44.9% of Omaha Northwest's points, marking the fourth time in a row Watkins has earned more than a third of the team's points. Jessica Houston was another key player, putting up 17 points along with six rebounds and four blocks.

Lincoln Northeast pushed their record up to 9-11 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.3 points over those games. As for Omaha Northwest, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-14.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lincoln Northeast has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 32.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Omaha Northwest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Lincoln Northeast took their victory against Omaha Northwest in their previous meeting back in December of 2021 by a conclusive 58-34. Will Lincoln Northeast repeat their success, or does Omaha Northwest have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.