Basketball Game Preview: McClave Cardinals vs. Springfield Longhorns

The McClave Cardinals will take on the Springfield Longhorns at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (McClave has seven straight victories, Springfield has six straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

It was a proper cat-fight when McClave took on Boise City on Tuesday. McClave strolled past Boise City with points to spare, taking the game 71-57. Given the Cardinals' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 47th in Colorado, while the Wildcats are ranked 292nd in Oklahoma), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

McClave can attribute much of their success to Tuff Kelley, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 16 rebounds, and Ethan Bronniman, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 12 rebounds. The match was Kelley's fifth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jr. Mungaray, who posted four points in addition to 11 rebounds and three blocks.

McClave smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in five consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Springfield ended up a good deal behind Cheyenne Wells on Saturday and lost 45-29. The contest marked the Longhorns' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

McClave's win was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-1. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.5 points per game. As for Springfield, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.

McClave beat Springfield 52-42 in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. Does McClave have another victory up their sleeve, or will Springfield turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.