Preview: Winnebago Indians vs. Tri County Northeast Wolfpack
After two games on the road, Winnebago is heading back home. They will take on the Tri County Northeast Wolfpack at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Winnebago focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up seven on Tuesday.
Last Tuesday, in a tight matchup that could have gone either way, Winnebago made off with a 43-42 victory over Wakefield.
Winnebago can attribute much of their success to Jolon Blackbird, who scored 14 points along with three steals, and Tressa BigBear, who scored 16 points along with three blocks and two steals. BigBear hasn't dropped below two steals for five straight games.
Meanwhile, Tri County Northeast struggled with assists on Tuesday (Bancroft-Rosalie had seven more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Tri County Northeast suffered a rough 63-39 defeat at the hands of Bancroft-Rosalie. While losing is never fun, Tri County Northeast can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 220th, while Bancroft-Rosalie is ranked 92nd).
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Mica Tornez, who scored four points along with two steals. Briley Anderson was another key contributor, scoring three points.
Winnebago's win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-10. As for Tri County Northeast, their defeat was their fifth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 5-12.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Winnebago have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Tri County Northeast struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Winnebago was able to grind out a solid win over Tri County Northeast when the teams last played back in January of 2023, winning 37-29. Does Winnebago have another victory up their sleeve, or will Tri County Northeast turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
