Basketball Game Preview: Spearfish Spartans vs. Yankton Bucks/Gazelles

The Spearfish Spartans will head out on the road to challenge the Yankton Bucks/Gazelles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Spearfish is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of South Dakota's top teams: Rapid City Christian, who was ranked third at the time (Spearfish was ranked 24th). Spearfish lost 70-45 to Rapid City Christian on Saturday. The Spartans have struggled against the Comets recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

Meanwhile, Yankton was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They came up short against Sioux Falls Christian, falling 70-48. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Bucks/Gazelles have suffered since January 18th.

Spearfish's loss dropped their record down to 12-6. As for Yankton, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-15.

Spearfish didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Yankton when the teams last played back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 52-47 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Spearfish since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.