Basketball Game Preview: Freeburg Midgets vs. Columbia Eagles

The Freeburg Midgets will face off against the Columbia Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Freeburg is headed into Friday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Friday. They were dealt a 69-28 loss at the hands of Breese Central. The contest marked the Midgets' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Freeburg's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Matt Pluff, who went 5 for 10 on his way to 14 points and five rebounds, and Brady Kerr, who posted ten points and six rebounds.

Columbia has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They took a blow against Principia on Saturday, falling 76-35. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 68th in Illinois, while the Panthers are ranked seventh in Missouri).

Freeburg will have to contain Eddie Smajic as he made an impact in Columbia's last game. He earned 14 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Brody Landgraf, who put up 11 points.

Freeburg's loss dropped their record down to 5-9. As for Columbia, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-4.

Freeburg came up short against Columbia in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 61-51. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Columbia's Sam Donald, who dropped a double-double on 29 points and 15 boards. Now that Freeburg knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.