Basketball Game Preview: Lyons-Decatur Northeast Cougars vs. West Point-Beemer Cadets

Lyons-Decatur Northeast is 0-3 against West Point-Beemer since January of 2023 but things could change on Saturday. The Cougars will be playing in front of their home fans against the Cadets at 4:15 p.m. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Pender on Thursday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Cougars were dealt a 69-12 loss at the hands of the Pendragons. The matchup marked the Cougars' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 58-31, which was the final score in West Point-Beemer's tilt against Fort Calhoun on Tuesday. While losing is never fun, the Cadets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 229th, while the Pioneers are ranked 36th).

Lyons-Decatur Northeast will need to focus on slowing down Ellie Bruning, one of several West Point-Beemer players who made an impact when they last played. She posted eight points and six boards. Bruning is also on a roll when it comes to three-point shooting accuracy, as she's posted one of at least 50% in the last four games she's played. Another player making a difference was Mayda Reimers, who had three points and seven rebounds.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast's defeat dropped their record down to 3-8. As for West Point-Beemer, their loss dropped their record down to 0-11.

Lyons-Decatur Northeast might still be hurting after the 50-29 defeat they got from West Point-Beemer when the teams last played back in January of 2025. Thankfully for the Cougars, Allie Kaup (who dropped a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.