Basketball Game Preview: Arapahoe Warriors vs. Axtell Wildcats

The Arapahoe Warriors will venture away from home to face off against the Axtell Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Arapahoe will be strutting in after a win while Axtell will be coming in after a loss.

Last Friday, Arapahoe didn't have too much trouble with Hi-Line [Eustis-Farnam/Elwood] as they won 61-44. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 109th, while Hi-Line [Eustis-Farnam/Elwood] are ranked 240th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Arapahoe can attribute much of their success to Sawyer Shafer, who went 5 of 11 on her way to 17 points and five steals, and Emma Strand, who posted 13 points. What's more, Strand also racked up four assists, the most she's had since back in December of 2023. Another player making a difference was Ryleigh Tidyman, who earned six points.

Meanwhile, Axtell was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They fell 29-17 to Lawrence-Nelson.

Arapahoe is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.4 points per game. As for Axtell, their loss dropped their record down to 4-10.

Arapahoe didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Axtell in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, but they still walked away with a 37-33 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Arapahoe since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.