Basketball Game Preview: Elba Bluejays vs. Newman Grove/St. Edward Panthers

The Elba Bluejays will face off against the Newman Grove/St. Edward Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Elba has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.

Having struggled with 27 defeats in a row dating back to last season, Elba turned things around against Burwell on Friday. They put the hurt on the Longhorns with a sharp 41-21 victory. The Bluejays' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Elba can attribute much of their success to Blake Barg, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine rebounds, and Ethan Lange, who posted 13 points and six rebounds. Those 13 points gave Barg a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Zachary Leach, who put up nine points in addition to six rebounds and four steals.

Elba smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in four consecutive games.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Newman Grove/St. Edward's strategy against Neligh-Oakdale on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Newman Grove/St. Edward blew Neligh-Oakdale out of the water with a 54-21 final score. The contest marked the Panthers' most dominant win of the season.

Elba better focus on containing Anthony Reader and Ryan Cumming as the pair were huge in Newman Grove/St. Edward's win. Reader had 15 points, while Cumming posted ten points. Reader's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Zander Jarecki, who earned six points.

Newman Grove/St. Edward has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 4-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.8 points per game. As for Elba, their victory ended a 12-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 1-7.