Basketball Game Preview: Fairbury Jeffs vs. Johnson County Central Thunderbirds

The Fairbury Jeffs will venture away from home to challenge the Johnson County Central Thunderbirds at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Fairbury has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Johnson County Central will arrive with three straight wins.

Fairbury came up short against Sandy Creek on Tuesday, falling 65-41.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Johnson County Central). They breezed by Falls City to the tune of 69-41 on Saturday. Given the Thunderbirds' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 54th, while the Tigers are ranked 255th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Johnson County Central's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-5. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.6 points per game. As for Fairbury, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-11.

Fairbury came up short against Johnson County Central in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 40-32. Can Fairbury avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.