Preview: Lincoln Southeast Knights vs. Papillion-LaVista Monarchs
The Lincoln Southeast Knights will be playing at home against the Papillion-LaVista Monarchs at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Lincoln Southeast unfortunately witnessed the end of their seven-game winning streak on Thursday. They took a 58-46 hit to the loss column at the hands of Pius X. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Lincoln Southeast has scored all season.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Jake Hilkemann, who scored ten points along with eight rebounds. Mike Ngoyi was another key contributor, scoring ten points.
Meanwhile, Papillion-LaVista managed to keep up with Millard South until halftime on Saturday, but things quickly went downhill from there. Papillion-LaVista suffered a rough 57-37 defeat at the hands of Millard South. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss Papillion-LaVista has suffered yet this season.
Despite their loss, Papillion-LaVista saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Cedric Williams, who scored 12 points along with three steals and two blocks, was perhaps the best of all. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Williams has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Garin Maley, who scored ten points along with eight rebounds.
Lincoln Southeast's defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-4. As for Papillion-LaVista, their loss dropped their record down to 6-5.
Saturday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Lincoln Southeast have been dynamite from deep this season, having drained 45.2% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Papillion-LaVista struggles in that department as they've nailed 37% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Lincoln Southeast suffered a grim 64-41 defeat to Papillion-LaVista in their previous matchup back in January of 2020. Can Lincoln Southeast avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
