Basketball Game Preview: Surrey Mustangs vs. Westhope/Newburg Sioux

The Surrey Mustangs will take on the Westhope/Newburg Sioux at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Surrey has three straight wins, Westhope/Newburg has seven straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Friday, Surrey strolled past Nedrose with points to spare, taking the game 55-39.

Surrey's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ava Keller, who went 7 for 11 on her way to 15 points and five steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Makya Gerding, who went 5 of 9 on her way to 13 points and six rebounds.

Surrey was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Westhope/Newburg scored the most points they've had this season on Monday, but it wasn't enough. They took a 64-60 hit to the loss column at the hands of North Prairie co-op [Rolla/Rolette]. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game two weeks ago (58), the Sioux still had to take the loss.

Surrey will need focus on slowing down Macy Bryans, one of several Westhope/Newburg players who made an impact when they last played. She went 7 of 17 on her way to 19 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. Bryans continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Laken Lee, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 14 boards.

Westhope/Newburg's defeat dropped their record down to 0-6. As for Surrey, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.

Everything came up roses for Surrey against Westhope/Newburg in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, as the team secured a 71-37 victory. Does Surrey have another victory up their sleeve, or will Westhope/Newburg turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.