Basketball Preview: Lakota Tech Tatanka vs. Mahpiya Luta Crusaders
Lakota Tech is 1-7 against Mahpiya Luta since December of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Lakota Tech Tatanka will head out to challenge the Mahpiya Luta Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Mahpiya Luta is hoping to do what Alliance couldn't on Friday: put an end to Lakota Tech's winning streak, which now stands at five games. Lakota Tech took their contest with ease, bagging a 65-35 victory over Alliance. Given the Tatanka's advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 19th in South Dakota, while the Bulldogs are ranked 261st in Nebraska), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Mahpiya Luta's strategy against Todd County on Saturday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Mahpiya Luta blew Todd County out of the water with a 70-16 final score. The win was just business as usual for the Crusaders, who after eight games remain undefeated this season.
Lakota Tech better keep an eye on Ashlan Carlow-Blount. She was instrumental in Mahpiya Luta's win, going 8 of 16 on her way to 22 points in addition to seven boards and six steals. Carlow-Blount is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 33 games she's played dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Mya Mills, who went 6 for 9 on her way to 16 points and four steals.
Mahpiya Luta smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 11 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Mahpiya Luta pushed their record up to 8-0 with the victory, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 27.6 points per game. As for Lakota Tech, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.
Lakota Tech was taken down by Mahpiya Luta 75-27 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Lakota Tech was down 47-19.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps