The Red Cloud Warriors will square off against the Heartland Lutheran Red Hornets at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Red Cloud will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
Red Cloud is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They came out on top against Superior by a score of 63-51 on Friday.
It was another big night for Gage Ely, who dropped a double-double on 38 points and ten rebounds. Those 38 points gave him a new career-high. Carlos Horne was another key player, putting up four points and 11 boards.
Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 63-31, which was the final score in Heartland Lutheran's tilt against Archangels Catholic on Monday. While losing is never fun, the Red Hornets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 260th, while the Defenders are ranked 98th).
Despite the defeat, Heartland Lutheran saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Cole Lindner posted ten points and four steals. Those four steals set a new season-high mark for Lindner. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Olson, who went 5 for 8 en route to 11 points and five rebounds.
Red Cloud's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-3. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.8 points per game. As for Heartland Lutheran, their loss dropped their record down to 4-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Red Cloud has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Heartland Lutheran struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything came up roses for Red Cloud against Heartland Lutheran in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as the squad secured a 44-14 victory. In that match, Red Cloud amassed a halftime lead of 25-3, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Tuesday.
