West Holt and Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2021, but not for long. The West Holt Huskies will venture away from home to square off against the Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] Bobcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are still undefeated after nine-games, but that won't be the case come Friday.
Last Monday, West Holt didn't have too much trouble with Valentine as they won 61-45. Given the Huskies' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while Valentine are ranked 85th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 01/06/25 vs Valentine | 26 |
| 01/30/24 vs Stuart | 22 |
| 01/27/24 vs Neligh-Oakdale | 22 |
| 12/10/24 @ Ord | 21 |
| 12/27/24 @ Hartington-Newcastle | 19 |
West Holt's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Zach Hooey, who went 11 of 16 on his way to 26 points and six rebounds. Those 26 points gave Hooey a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Lincoln Konrad, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 16 boards.
West Holt was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Valentine only racked up eight assists.
Meanwhile, Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Plainview on Tuesday, but they still walked away with a 52-48 victory. The 52-point effort marked the Bobcats' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
West Holt better keep an eye on Sam Cheatum. He was instrumental in Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard]'s win, putting up nine points in addition to seven assists and seven boards. Another player making a difference was Alec Schindler, who posted seven points and ten boards.
West Holt's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-0. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.6 points per game. As for Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard], their record now sits at 9-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: West Holt has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 36.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.6 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
West Holt came up short against Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 49-45. Can West Holt avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
