Lincoln Southwest is 4-0 against Columbus since February of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Lincoln Southwest Silver Hawks will finish 2024 at home by hosting the Columbus Discoverers at 6:45 p.m. Lincoln Southwest knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past five games -- so hopefully Columbus likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, Lincoln Southwest blew past Norfolk, posting a 79-49 win. Given the Silver Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 32nd, while the Panthers are ranked 166th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 12/20/24 @ Norfolk | 22 |
| 12/07/24 vs Elkhorn South | 19 |
| 12/14/24 vs Kearney | 16 |
| 02/06/24 vs Columbus | 13 |
| 02/10/24 vs Lincoln North Star | 13 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Lincoln Southwest to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jaxyn Cruse, who went 10 for 17 on his way to 22 points in addition to six assists and four steals. Those 22 points gave Cruse a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Makkiah Sanders, who went 6 of 8 on his way to 16 points and three steals.
Meanwhile, Columbus didn't have too much trouble with South Sioux City on Saturday as they won 67-49. The contest marked the Discoverers' most dominant victory of the season so far.
Lincoln Southwest better focus on containing Quinn Freshour and Gavin Anderson as the pair were huge in Columbus' win. Freshour went 7 of 10 on his way to 14 points and four steals, while Anderson made all 7 shots he took to post 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Will Wickham, who posted 11 points and three steals.
Columbus smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in six consecutive matchups.
The win got Columbus back to even at 3-3. As for Lincoln Southwest, their victory bumped their record up to 4-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Lincoln Southwest has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Columbus struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Lincoln Southwest came out on top in a nail-biter against Columbus in their previous matchup back in February, sneaking past 68-65. Will Lincoln Southwest repeat their success, or does Columbus have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
