Basketball Game Preview: Axtell Wildcats vs. Lawrence-Nelson Raiders

The Axtell Wildcats will face off against the Lawrence-Nelson Raiders at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Axtell has struggled recently with five losses in a row, while Lawrence-Nelson will arrive with three straight victories.

Last Thursday, Axtell ended up a good deal behind Elm Creek and lost 75-59. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 210th, while the Buffaloes are ranked 68th).

Meanwhile, it may have taken double overtime to finish the job, but Lawrence-Nelson ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They walked away with a 59-52 win over Kenesaw.

Lawrence-Nelson has also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.9 points per game. As for Axtell, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-9.

Axtell strolled past Lawrence-Nelson in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 by a score of 48-33. Will Axtell repeat their success, or does Lawrence-Nelson have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.