Basketball Game Preview: Hodgeman County Longhorns vs. Ness City Eagles

The Hodgeman County Longhorns will be taking part in a tournament against the Ness City Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.

Hodgeman County is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Northern Valley: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Hodgeman County blew Northern Valley out of the water with a 64-19 final score. With the Longhorns ahead 35-8 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

Hodgeman County got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Ian Reece out in front who went 6 of 9 en route to 13 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Those four steals gave Reece a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brody Schroeder, who posted 13 points.

Meanwhile, Ness City can finally bid farewell to their five-game losing streak dating back to last season thanks to their game on Monday. They claimed a resounding 63-30 victory over Osborne. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Eagles have posted since February 5th.

Ness City found their leader in sophomore Drake Woods, who went 7 of 14 on his way to 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Dakoda McDonald, who had eight points and seven rebounds.

The victory made it two in a row for Hodgeman County and bumps their season record up to 2-0. As for Ness City, the win got them back to even at 1-1.

Everything came up roses for Hodgeman County against Ness City when the teams last played back in December of 2023, as the team secured a 79-22 victory. In that match, Hodgeman County amassed a halftime lead of 42-16, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.