Basketball Game Preview: Northwest Vikings vs. Adams Central Patriots

Northwest hasn't had much luck against Adams Central recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Northwest Vikings will head out on the road to square off against the Adams Central Patriots at 7:00 p.m. Northwest knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past four matches -- so hopefully Adams Central likes a good challenge.

Northwest is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past St. Cecilia, posting a 76-34 win. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 60th, while the Bluehawks are ranked 236th), the result on Tuesday wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Adams Central suffered their biggest defeat since January 27, 2024 on Tuesday. They came up short against Holdrege, falling 74-54. The Patriots have been going strong on the season, but this is now their second loss in a row.

Despite the defeat, Adams Central saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Hunter Nepple posted 19 points. The contest was Nepple's seventh in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Austin Vontz, who scored 11 points.

Northwest is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.8 points per game. As for Adams Central, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 7-4.

Northwest might still be hurting after the 54-32 defeat they got from Adams Central in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. Can Northwest avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.