Basketball Game Preview: Red Cloud Warriors vs. Shelton Bulldogs

Red Cloud hasn't had much luck against Shelton recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Red Cloud Warriors are taking a road trip to square off against the Shelton Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. Red Cloud is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 51.5 points per game this season.

Red Cloud will bounce into Friday's match after beating Wilcox-Hildreth, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Red Cloud walked away with a 46-34 victory over Wilcox-Hildreth on Tuesday. The squad ran away with 32 points in the first half and mostly just sat on those to pick up the win.

Red Cloud's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Conner Rust led the charge by putting up 17 points in addition to five boards and three steals. Those 17 points gave Rust a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Mason Bolin, who posted eight points and six steals.

Red Cloud was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Wilcox-Hildreth only posted seven assists.

Meanwhile, Shelton was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Thursday as they fell 46-42 to Lawrence-Nelson. The game marked the Bulldogs' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

The victory (which was Red Cloud's third in a row) raised their record to 3-1. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.0 points per game. As for Shelton, their loss ended a nine-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 4-2.

Red Cloud took a serious blow against Shelton in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 73-40. Thankfully for Red Cloud, Ashton Simmons (who went 12 of 25 on his way to 36 points along with five assists and four steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.