Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] has won eight straight games at home (dating back to last season), while West Holt has won eight straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] Bobcats will welcome the West Holt Huskies at 7:00 p.m. Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 63.2 points per game this season.
On Tuesday, Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Plainview, but they still walked away with a 52-48 win. The 52-point effort marked the Bobcats' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Among those leading the charge was Sam Cheatum, who posted nine points along with seven assists and seven boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Alec Schindler, who put up seven points and ten rebounds.
Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, West Holt strolled past Valentine with points to spare on Monday, taking the game 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.
West Holt's win came from a few key players Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Zach Hooey, who went 11 of 16 on his way to 26 points and six rebounds. Those 26 points gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Lincoln Konrad, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 16 rebounds.
West Holt's victory bumped their record up to 9-0. As for Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard], their win bumped their record up to an identical 9-0.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 34.6 boards per game. However, it's not like West Holt struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] didn't have too much breathing room in their game against West Holt when the teams last played back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 49-45 victory. Will Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] repeat their success, or does West Holt have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
