Basketball Game Preview: Newman Grove/St. Edward Panthers vs. Elba Bluejays

The Newman Grove/St. Edward Panthers will challenge the Elba Bluejays at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Newman Grove/St. Edward is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Neligh-Oakdale: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Newman Grove/St. Edward blew Neligh-Oakdale out of the water with a 54-21 final score. That 33 point margin sets a new team best for the Panthers this season.

Newman Grove/St. Edward can attribute much of their success to Anthony Reader, who posted 15 points, and Ryan Cumming, who had ten points. The contest was Reader's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Zander Jarecki, who earned six points.

Meanwhile, Elba had to endure a 27-game losing streak dating back to last season, but that streak is no more. They blew past Burwell 41-21 on Friday. The Bluejays' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Newman Grove/St. Edward better focus on containing Blake Barg and Ethan Lange as the pair were huge in Elba's win. Barg almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine rebounds, while Lange posted 13 points and six rebounds. What's more, Barg also racked up three steals, the most he's had since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Zachary Leach, who put up nine points in addition to six rebounds and four steals.

Elba smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in four consecutive games.

Newman Grove/St. Edward has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 4-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.8 points per game. As for Elba, their win ended a 12-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 1-7.