Basketball Game Preview: Hamilton Big Blue vs. Lakota East Thunderhawks

Hamilton hasn't had much luck against Lakota East recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Hamilton Big Blue will take on the Lakota East Thunderhawks at 1:45 p.m.

Hamilton is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Mason on Wednesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Hamilton took a blow against Mason, falling 68-37. The Big Blue were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 39-19.

The losing side was boosted by Omarionya Kirkland, who posted six points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Lakota East came tearing into Friday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 21 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Firebirds by a score of 51-40.

Lakota East's win came from a few key players Hamilton will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Addyson Johnson, who made all 5 shots she took for 13 points and five boards. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Brooke Asher, who scored 14 points and six rebounds.

Lakota East is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.7 points per game. As for Hamilton, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 4-10.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Hamilton has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Lakota East struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Hamilton took a serious blow against Lakota East in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 62-33. Can Hamilton avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.