Preview: Grafton Spoilers vs. Thompson Tommies
The Grafton Spoilers will head out on the road to square off against the Thompson Tommies at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Grafton knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past 14 games -- so hopefully Thompson likes a good challenge.
Grafton stacked a ninth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Saturday. They took their matchup on the road with ease, bagging a 82-45 win over Rugby. Given Grafton's advantage in MaxPreps' North Dakota basketball rankings (they are ranked fifth, while Rugby is ranked 63rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, Thompson entered their tilt with Dunseith with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Thompson blew past Dunseith 63-35 on the road on Monday. Thompson has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matchups by 21 points or more this season.
Thompson's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Karter Peterson, who scored 14 points along with three blocks and two steals, and Drew Overby, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. Overby is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. Gavin Krogstad was another key contributor, scoring 11 points.
Grafton's victory bumped their record up to 11-3. As for Thompson, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
Grafton was able to grind out a solid victory over Thompson in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, winning 72-60. The rematch might be a little tougher for Grafton since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
