Basketball Game Preview: Luling Eagles vs. Nixon-Smiley Mustangs

Luling and Nixon-Smiley are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2020, but not for long. The Luling Eagles will be playing at home against the Nixon-Smiley Mustangs at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Luling is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 55.4 points per game this season.

Luling took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Karnes City, sneaking past 53-51.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Luling to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ayden Flores, who almost dropped a double-double on 15 points and nine boards. That's the most rebounds Flores has posted since back in December of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Braecyn Spencer, who went 7 of 11 on his way to 16 points.

Meanwhile, Nixon-Smiley came up short against Stockdale on Tuesday and fell 44-36.

Luling's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-14. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.6 points per game. As for Nixon-Smiley, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-14 record this season.

Luling beat Nixon-Smiley 55-45 when the teams last played on January 14th. Will Luling repeat their success, or does Nixon-Smiley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.