Basketball Game Preview: Jefferson West Tigers vs. Rossville Bulldogs

After both having extra time off, the Jefferson West Tigers and the Rossville Bulldogs will dust off their jerseys to square off against one another at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 47-18, which was the final score in Jefferson West's tilt against Nemaha Central back in December of 2024. The matchup marked the Tigers' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Kaylee Heinen was Jefferson West's leading scorer, having posted six points. Kolbie Noel held things down on the boards with seven rebounds. Harriet Dean took the lead distributing the ball, coming up with two assists.

Meanwhile, Rossville came up short against Holton two weeks ago and fell 71-61. The Bulldogs have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Jefferson West will have to keep a close watch on Rylee Dick and Nora Burdiek, a pair of players who had a big impact on Rossville's prior game. Dick went 7 of 12 from beyond the arc on her way to 23 points, while Burdiek dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 boards. That was a full 37.7% of Rossville's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Leni Lewis, who put up six points.

Rossville's defeat dropped their record down to 3-2. As for Jefferson West, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 3-2.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Jefferson West has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Rossville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Jefferson West was taken down by Rossville 60-32 when the teams last played back in March of 2023. Can Jefferson West avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.