Basketball Game Preview: Davenport North Wildcats vs. Liberty Lightning

The Davenport North Wildcats will face off against the Liberty Lightning at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Davenport North has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last four games.

Davenport North is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They took their match on Thursday with ease, bagging an 85-47 win over Davenport West. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Iowa basketball rankings (they are ranked 67th, while the Falcons are ranked 224th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Liberty was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their 15th straight loss. They were dealt a 93-58 defeat at the hands of Wahlert. The Lightning were down 79-49 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.

Despite the loss, Liberty saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Jerimiah Washpun went 10-for-21 to rack up 21 points and seven boards. Washpun is also on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 48% in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Maddoc Coapstick, who posted 12 points.

Liberty's defeat dropped their record down to 2-20. As for Davenport North, their victory bumped their record up to 14-8.

Davenport North came up short against Liberty in their previous meeting back in February of 2021, falling 58-50. Thankfully for Davenport North, Kelby Telander (who almost dropped a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.