Basketball Game Preview: Neligh-Oakdale Warriors vs. Plainview Pirates

Neligh-Oakdale is 1-9 against Plainview since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Neligh-Oakdale Warriors will welcome the Plainview Pirates at 6:00 p.m. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Neligh-Oakdale is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Niobrara/Verdigre on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Neligh-Oakdale was outmatched by Niobrara/Verdigre and fell 67-31. While losing is never fun, the Warriors can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 237th, while the Cougars are ranked 84th).

Meanwhile, Plainview was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their ninth straight loss. They came up short against Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard], falling 37-16.

Neligh-Oakdale will need focus on slowing down Kenzie Doerr, one of several Plainview players who made an impact when they last played. She posted eight points and five steals. Another player making a difference was Riley Miller, who put up two points in addition to 14 rebounds and three blocks.

Even though they lost, Plainview smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in three consecutive contests.

Neligh-Oakdale's defeat dropped their record down to 2-8. As for Plainview, their loss dropped their record down to 1-10.

Neligh-Oakdale lost to Plainview at home by a decisive 48-31 margin when the teams last played back in January of 2024. Thankfully for Neligh-Oakdale, Abbie Kromarek (who almost dropped a triple-double on 25 points, nine boards, and ten steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.