Malcolm and Centennial are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2019, but not for long. Both will round out the year against one another at at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
On Saturday, Malcolm needed a bit of extra time to put away Beatrice. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Orangemen 56-53. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Clippers have posted since December 9, 2023.
| 12/21/24 @ Beatrice | 21 |
| 12/19/24 vs Platteview | 19 |
| 12/17/24 @ Raymond Central | 29 |
| 12/10/24 @ North Bend Central | 20 |
Carson Frank was his usual excellent self, putting up 21 points. His afternoon made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Preston Kucera, who posted eight points.
Meanwhile, Centennial put another one in the bag on Saturday to keep their perfect season alive. They took down Superior 57-43. Given the Broncos' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 38th, while the Wildcats are ranked 218th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Centennial's win came from a few key players Malcolm will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Devin Slawnyk, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 18 boards. Slawnyk is crushing it when it comes to rebounds: he's pulled down at least 14 every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Sam Ehlers, who earned 11 points and seven rebounds.
Centennial smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in seven consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Centennial pushed their record up to 6-0 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.0 points per game. As for Malcolm, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season.
Malcolm beat Centennial 61-52 in their previous meeting back in February. The rematch might be a little tougher for Malcolm since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
