Basketball Game Preview: Niobrara/Verdigre Cougars vs. Elkhorn Valley Falcons

The Niobrara/Verdigre Cougars just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Elkhorn Valley Falcons at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Niobrara/Verdigre comes in on three and Elkhorn Valley on 24.

Niobrara/Verdigre will bounce into Thursday's match after beating Elgin/Pope John, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Niobrara/Verdigre walked away with a 56-44 win over Elgin/Pope John on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Elkhorn Valley walked away with it. They came out on top against the Gators by a score of 57-44 on Wednesday. Given the Falcons' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 17th, while the Gators are ranked 132nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Elkhorn Valley's win came from a few key players Niobrara/Verdigre will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Cameron Rutjens, who posted 17 points in addition to eight boards and four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Karlee Broberg, who scored 14 points and five rebounds.

Elkhorn Valley 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 eight offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Elkhorn Valley pushed their record up to 24-0 with the victory, which was their 15th straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.1 points over those games. As for Niobrara/Verdigre, their record is now 17-8.