Basketball Game Preview: Mitchell Tigers vs. Gordon-Rushville Mustangs

Mitchell and Gordon-Rushville are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2020, but not for long. The Mitchell Tigers will host the Gordon-Rushville Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Mitchell is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Perkins County just ended the team's four-game winning streak last Thursday. 2025 welcomed they with a 68-47 loss courtesy of the Plainsmen. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 127th, while the Plainsmen are ranked 33rd).

Despite the loss, Mitchell saw an underclassman step up: sophomore London Beck posted seven points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Uriel Jimenez, who put up eight points.

Meanwhile, Gordon-Rushville was not able to break out of their rough patch back in December of 2024 as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They took a blow against Kimball, falling 77-21. The game marked the Mustangs' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Gordon-Rushville's loss dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Mitchell, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 5-4.

Everything came up roses for Mitchell against Gordon-Rushville when the teams last played back in February of 2024, as the team secured a 72-26 win. Will Mitchell repeat their success, or does Gordon-Rushville have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.