Basketball Game Preview: Gibbon Buffaloes vs. Bertrand Vikings

The Gibbon Buffaloes and the Bertrand Vikings will round out the year against one another at at 12:45 p.m. on Monday. Gibbon knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past three matches -- so hopefully Bertrand likes a good challenge.

Last Saturday, Gibbon came up short against Wood River and fell 80-67. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Friday (57), the Buffaloes still had to take the loss.

Meanwhile, Bertrand was able to grind out a solid victory over Blue Hill on Saturday, taking the game 49-39.

Bertrand's win came from a few key players Gibbon will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Marcus Hernandez, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 14 rebounds. He is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down nine or more in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Hunter Nelson, who went 6 of 12 on his way to 17 points and five steals.

Bertrand smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 11 consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Bertrand's win bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Gibbon, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4.

Things could have been worse for Gibbon, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 50-36 loss to Bertrand in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. Can Gibbon avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.