Basketball Game Preview: L'Anse Creuse Lancers vs. Fitzgerald Spartans

The L'Anse Creuse Lancers will head out to challenge the Fitzgerald Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Last Tuesday, L'Anse Creuse was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 37-31 to Marine City. The Lancers haven't had much luck with the Mariners recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.

Veronica Niarhos put forth a good effort for the losing side as she posted eight points and 11 boards. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 8.2 rebounds per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Allison Tuladziecki, who put up seven points and three steals.

Even though they lost, L'Anse Creuse 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 nine consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Fitzgerald was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 64-59 to St. Clair. While losing is never fun, the Spartans can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Michigan basketball rankings (they are ranked 422nd, while the Saints are ranked 200th).

This is the second loss in a row for Fitzgerald and nudges their season record down to 3-3. As for L'Anse Creuse, their record is now 3-6.

L'Anse Creuse came up short against Fitzgerald in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, falling 52-45. Can L'Anse Creuse avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.