Basketball Game Preview: Lakota East Thunderhawks vs. Hamilton Big Blue

Lakota East is 8-2 against Hamilton since January of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. Having just played yesterday, the Lakota East Thunderhawks will get right back to it and host the Hamilton Big Blue at 1:45 p.m. Lakota East is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.

On Friday, Lakota East beat Lakota West 51-40.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Lakota East to victory, but perhaps none more so than Addyson Johnson, who made all 5 shots she took racking up 13 points and five boards. Those 13 points gave Johnson a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooke Asher, who posted 14 points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Hamilton played a tough game on Wednesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 68-37 defeat at the hands of Mason. The Big Blue were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 39-19.

Lakota East will have to contain Omarionya Kirkland as she made an impact in Hamilton's last game. She had six points and three steals.

Lakota East has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.7 points per game. As for Hamilton, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-10 record this season.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lakota East has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 26.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Hamilton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Everything came up roses for Lakota East against Hamilton in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, as the squad secured a 62-33 win. Will Lakota East repeat their success, or does Hamilton have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.