Basketball Game Preview: Stuart Broncos vs. Elgin/Pope John Wolfpack

Stuart hasn't had much luck against Elgin/Pope John recently, but that could start to change on Friday. Having just played yesterday, the Stuart Broncos will head out on the road to face off against the Elgin/Pope John Wolfpack at 6:00 p.m. Stuart will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.

On Thursday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Stuart beat Osmond 40-35. The team accrued 28 points in the first half and coasted on those for the win.

Meanwhile, Elgin/Pope John strolled past Fullerton with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 48-31. Given the Wolfpack's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 78th, while the Warriors are ranked 237th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Elgin/Pope John's win came from a few key players Stuart will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kate Furstenau, who posted 12 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Braelyn Martinsen, who earned ten points.

Elgin/Pope John's victory was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-2. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.8 points per game. As for Stuart, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 11-3 record this season.

Stuart took a serious blow against Elgin/Pope John in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 69-29. Can Stuart avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.