Basketball Game Preview: Osborn Wildcats vs. East Atchison [Tarkio/Fairfax]

The Osborn Wildcats will take on East Atchison [Tarkio/Fairfax] at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Osborn's offense hasn't had much luck over their past four contests, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

It was a proper cat-fight when Osborn faced off against Lawson on Wednesday. Osborn took a blow against Lawson, falling 57-14. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 372nd, while the Cardinals are ranked 176th).

Meanwhile, East Atchison [Tarkio/Fairfax] had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They claimed a resounding 53-11 victory over South Holt. That 42 point margin sets a new team best for East Atchison [Tarkio/Fairfax] this season.

Osborn better keep an eye on Lizzie Schlueter. She was instrumental in East Atchison [Tarkio/Fairfax]'s win, dropping a double-double on 24 points and 11 rebounds. That makes it 15 consecutive games in which Schlueter has scored at least a third of East Atchison [Tarkio/Fairfax]'s points. Another player making a difference was Grace Oswald, who went 5 of 11 on her way to 11 points along with six boards and five steals.

East Atchison [Tarkio/Fairfax] was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in February of 2024.

Osborn's loss dropped their record down to 3-7. As for East Atchison [Tarkio/Fairfax], their win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 7-12.

Osborn was dealt a bruising 56-24 defeat at the hands of East Atchison [Tarkio/Fairfax] when the teams last played back in February of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Schlueter, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and ten rebounds. Now that Osborn knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.