The Ord Chanticleers will take on the Grand Island Central Catholic Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Saturday, Ord didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Guardian Angels Central Catholic, but they still walked away with a 37-32 win. The 37-point effort marked the Chanticleers' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
| 12/28/24 vs Guardian Angels Central Catholic | 7 |
| 12/05/23 @ West Holt | 7 |
| 12/21/24 @ Centura | 6 |
| 12/28/23 vs Humphrey-Lindsay | 6 |
| 02/02/24 vs Doniphan-Trumbull | 6 |
Ord relied on the efforts of Elijah Pollard, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 12 rebounds, and Jordan Williams, who posted seven points along with seven rebounds and five steals. That's the most boards Williams has posted since back in December of 2023. Beau Wells was another key player, putting up six points.
Ord smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive rebound total in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Grand Island Central Catholic waltzed into their contest on Saturday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They really took it to the Whippets for the full four quarters, racking up a 60-31 victory. That 29 point margin sets a new team best for the Crusaders this season.
Ord better keep an eye on Thomas Liban. He was instrumental in Grand Island Central Catholic's win, going 8 of 17 on his way to 21 points. The game was Liban's third in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Thomas Birch, who had 11 points along with six boards and three steals.
Grand Island Central Catholic is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.7 points per game. As for Ord, their win bumped their record up to 3-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Ord has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Grand Island Central Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Ord was able to grind out a solid victory over Grand Island Central Catholic in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, winning 42-35. The rematch might be a little tougher for Ord since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
