Basketball Game Preview: Kearney Bulldogs vs. Excelsior Springs Tigers

Kearney has gone a perfect 3-0 against Excelsior Springs recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. The Kearney Bulldogs will take on the Excelsior Springs Tigers at 5:30 p.m. Kearney will be strutting in after a win while Excelsior Springs will be coming in after a defeat.

Excelsior Springs will be up against a hot Kearney team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. Kearney blew past Raytown South 58-29 on Thursday. The Bulldogs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matches by 22 points or more this season.

Brooke Paalhar

Steals

02/11/25 vs Winnetonka	8
01/24/25 vs Excelsior Springs	7
01/17/25 vs Winnetonka	7
02/13/25 vs Raytown South	5
01/28/25 @ Van Horn	5
+ 16 more games

Kearney's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Brooke Paalhar led the charge by putting up 14 points along with seven assists and five steals. Paalhar has become a key player for Kearney: the team is 6-2 when she posts at least five steals, but 4-10 otherwise. Addi Smith was another key player, going 5-for-10 on her way to 12 points and five steals.

Meanwhile, Excelsior Springs was beaten by Grandview 61-17 on Friday. The Tigers haven't had much luck with the Bulldogs recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.

Kearney's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-12. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.0 points over those games. As for Excelsior Springs, their loss dropped their record down to 6-11.

Everything came up roses for Kearney against Excelsior Springs when the teams last played back in January, as the squad secured a 54-20 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Kearney since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.