Basketball Game Preview: Hill City Ringnecks vs. Hoxie Indians

Hill City hasn't had much luck against Hoxie recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Hill City Ringnecks will be home for the holidays to greet the Hoxie Indians at 6:00 p.m.

Hill City is headed into Friday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their tenth straight game dating back to last season on Tuesday. They took a blow against Decatur Community, falling 59-14. The Ringnecks were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 35-7.

Rylie Minium was Hill City's leading scorer, having posted seven points. Sada Nelson held things down on the boards with nine rebounds.

Meanwhile, Hoxie won against Osborne on Saturday with 49 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Tuesday. Hoxie was the clear victor by a 49-24 margin over Thomas More Prep-Marian. The Indians have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matchups by 25 points or more this season.

Hoxie's victory was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 27.4 points. As for Hill City, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-3.

Hill City was dealt a bruising 74-10 loss at the hands of Hoxie in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hoxie's Emily Bainter, who went 6 of 11 on her way to 14 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Now that Hill City knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.