Preview: Nebraska City Pioneers vs. Malcolm Clippers
The Nebraska City Pioneers on the road again on Tuesday and play against the Malcolm Clippers at 6:00 p.m. on January 23rd. Nebraska City will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Nebraska Rankings (they are ranked 221st, while Malcolm is ranked 34th).
Last Friday, Nebraska City lost to Auburn on the road by a decisive 37-23 margin. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Nebraska City in their matchups with Auburn: they've now lost nine in a row.
Despite the loss, Nebraska City had strong showings from Tarryn Godsey, who scored ten points along with nine rebounds and three blocks, and Malayna L madsen, who scored six points along with two steals. Godsey is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last seven games she's played.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Nebraska City struggled to work together and finished the game with only two assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Malcolm stacked a fifth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Saturday. They really took it to St. Paul for the full four quarters, racking up a 62-29 victory on the road. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Malcolm has posted yet this season.
Malcolm's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Keira Farritor, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds. That's the first time this season that Farritor scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Halle Dolliver, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds.
Nebraska City has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost five of their last six matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-9 record this season. As for Malcolm, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Nebraska City have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 27.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Malcolm struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 31.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Nebraska City was taken down by Malcolm 57-20 when the teams last played back in January of 2023. The game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Nebraska City was down 35-7.
