The Lincoln North Star Navigators will square off against the Millard South Patriots at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Lincoln North Star took a loss when they played away from home last Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They skirted past Elkhorn South 62-60. Given the Navigators' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 17th, while the Storm are ranked 100th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lincoln North Star found their leader in sophomore Jordan Castor, who went 8-for-13 on his way to 22 points in addition to five assists and five boards. That makes it five consecutive games in which Castor has scored at least a third of Lincoln North Star's points. J'Shawn Afuh was another key player, going 6-for-12 to rack up 15 points.
Meanwhile, Millard South came tearing into Friday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 23 points), and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Bears 104-54. The contest marked the Patriots' most dominant win of the season.
Millard South's win came from a few key players Lincoln North Star will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Tyler Albert, who went 8-for-11 en route to 21 points and five assists. That's the most assists he has posted since back in January of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Koby Meyers, who dropped a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists.
Millard South smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in ten consecutive games.
Lincoln North Star has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.4 points over those games. As for Millard South, their victory bumped their record up to 16-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lincoln North Star has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Millard South struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Lincoln North Star won a contest that couldn't have been any closer in their previous matchup back in December of 2022, slipping by Millard South 50-49. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Millard South's Will Cooper, who shot 5-for-6 from downtown and dropped a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for Lincoln North Star to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
