Basketball Game Preview: Fairbury Jeffs vs. Sutton Mustangs

Jeffs

Points

01/29/26 vs Johnson County Central	53
01/27/26 vs Sandy Creek	38
01/22/26 vs Sutton	48
01/20/26 @ Raymond Central	63
01/16/26 vs Auburn	33
+ 12 more games

Fairbury hasn't had much luck against Sutton recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Jeffs will be taking part in a tournament against the Mustangs at 5:30 p.m. Fairbury is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51 points per game this season.

Fairbury fought the good fight in their overtime contest against Johnson County Central on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Thunderbirds by a score of 56-53. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Jeffs have suffered since December 12, 2025.

Despite the defeat, Fairbury got top-tier performance from Brodie Prellwitz, who went 7-for-17 en route to 21 points and five boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Jerik Mans, who shot 83% from the field on his way to 12 points and six rebounds.

The home team had won the previous five meetings between Sutton and Thayer Central, and Sutton kept the tradition alive. The Mustangs took down the Titans 45-31 on Monday.

Sutton's win came from a few key players that Fairbury will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Myles Smith, who posted 17 points. That makes it three consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Sutton's points. Another player making a difference was Payton Reed, who earned 13 points.

Fairbury's loss dropped their record down to 12-5. As for Sutton, their victory bumped their record up to 11-7.

Fairbury didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Sutton when the teams last played two weeks ago, but they still walked away with a 48-42 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Jeffs since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.