Basketball Game Preview: Arcadia/Loup City Rebels vs. Ravenna Bluejays

Arcadia/Loup City is 0-10 against Ravenna since January of 2017 but things could change on Friday. The Arcadia/Loup City Rebels will venture away from home to take on the Ravenna Bluejays at 6:00 p.m. Arcadia/Loup City will be strutting in after a victory while Ravenna will be coming in after a loss.

Arcadia/Loup City is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing South Loup: they outscored them in every quarter. Arcadia/Loup City was the clear victor by a 37-17 margin over South Loup on Tuesday. Given the Rebels' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 132nd, while South Loup are ranked 273rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Eva Jaixen was a one-woman wrecking crew for Arcadia/Loup City as she went 8 of 16 on her way to 18 points along with eight rebounds and six steals. Jaixen is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Grace Augustyn, who posted four points.

Meanwhile, Ravenna was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They had to suffer through a 57-28 loss at the hands of Sutton.

Arcadia/Loup City will have to keep a close watch on Kellie Huryta and Breckyn Wick, a pair of players who had a big impact on Ravenna's prior game. Huryta went 5 for 11 en route to 12 points and five boards, while Wick scored nine points and five rebounds. That was a full 42.9% of Ravenna's points, marking the third time in a row she's put up more than a third of the team's points.

Ravenna's loss dropped their record down to 3-12. As for Arcadia/Loup City, their win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-5.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Arcadia/Loup City has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 24.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Ravenna struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Arcadia/Loup City ended up a good deal behind Ravenna when the teams last played back in January of 2024, losing 40-23. Can Arcadia/Loup City avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.