Basketball Game Preview: Giltner Hornets vs. Heartland Huskies

After both having extra time off, the Giltner Hornets and the Heartland Huskies will shake off the cobwebs and challenge one another on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Last Friday, Giltner took a blow against High Plains, falling 72-29. The Hornets have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Brody Rudy, who posted ten points. Those ten points gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Blaydon White, who earned four points.

Meanwhile, Heartland was not able to break out of their rough patch last Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were five points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 47-42 heartbreaker at the hands of Thayer Central. That's two games in a row now that the Huskies have lost by exactly five points.

Giltner will have to contain Sam Quiring as he made an impact in Heartland's last game. He went 7 of 13 on his way to 18 points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter Siebert, who had nine points.

Giltner's loss dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Heartland, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-4.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Giltner has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 27.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Heartland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Giltner came up short against Heartland in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 47-40. Can Giltner avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.