Preview: Winner Warriors vs. McLaughlin Mustangs
Winner is 6-1 against McLaughlin since February of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Winner Warriors will be playing at home against the McLaughlin Mustangs at 3:00 p.m. Winner will be looking to keep their six-game home win streak alive.
Winner stacked a tenth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Saturday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 71-18 at home. Winner's offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Winner's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ava Craven, who scored 16 points along with two steals. It was the first time this season that Craven scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Karlee Brozik, who scored 12 points.
Meanwhile, McLaughlin didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Dupree last Thursday, but they still walked away with a 55-49 win. The win made it back-to-back wins for McLaughlin.
McLaughlin found their leader in underclassman Blake Thompson, who almost dropped a double-double on 27 points and nine steals. Thompson continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Mari Richards, who scored six points along with three blocks and two steals.
Winner is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. As for McLaughlin, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 12-4.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Winner have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 38.9% of their threes per game. However, it's not like McLaughlin struggles in that department as they've made 37.1% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went Winner's way against McLaughlin in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 as Winner made off with a 62-38 win. With Winner ahead 35-11 at the half, the game was all but over already.
