Basketball Game Preview: Nashwauk-Keewatin Spartans vs. South Ridge Panthers

The Nashwauk-Keewatin Spartans will head out on the road to challenge the South Ridge Panthers at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.

Last Tuesday, Nashwauk-Keewatin was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 55-54 to Mesabi East. The Spartans have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

While South Ridge didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-24), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 56-53 victory over Chisholm on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Panthers have posted since February 20, 2024.

South Ridge is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a massive bump to their 7-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.6 points per game. As for Nashwauk-Keewatin, their loss dropped their record down to 4-6.

Nashwauk-Keewatin couldn't quite finish off South Ridge in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 and fell 71-68. Can Nashwauk-Keewatin avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.