Preview: Larned Indians vs. Hesston Swathers
Larned is 1-9 against Hesston since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Larned Indians will look to defend their home court against the Hesston Swathers at 7:30 p.m. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Larned has struggled recently with four losses in a row, while Hesston will arrive with five straight victories.
Last Tuesday, things could have been worse for Larned, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 52-36 loss to Hillsboro. While losing is never fun, Larned can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 283rd, while Hillsboro is ranked 131st).
Meanwhile, Hesston can now show off nine landslide victories after their most recent contest on Tuesday. They blew past Halstead, posting a 64-30 victory at home.
Reed Friesen and Adrian Hernandez were among the main playmakers for Hesston as the former dropped a double-double on 17 points and 15 rebounds and the latter scored 23 points along with six rebounds and two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Hernandez has scored all season. Jackson Fry was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with five assists.
Larned has traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-11-2 record this season. As for Hesston, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-2.
Larned was dealt a bruising 67-18 defeat at the hands of Hesston in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Will Larned have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
