Basketball Game Preview: Lemmon Cowboys vs. Newell Irrigators

Lemmon and Newell are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2017, but not for long. After both having extra time off, the two teams will dust off their jerseys to square off against one another at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Lemmon will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.

Last Saturday, Lemmon was able to grind out a solid win over Grant County co-op [Carson/Elgin-New Leipzig/Mott-Regent], taking the game 46-36. Given the Cowboys' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked tenth in South Dakota, while Grant County co-op [Carson/Elgin-New Leipzig/Mott-Regent] are ranked 42nd in North Dakota), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Newell unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak last Friday. They took a blow against Kadoka, falling 61-28.

Lemmon's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.6 points per game. As for Newell, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-2.

Lemmon was able to grind out a solid win over Newell in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, winning 52-44. Will Lemmon repeat their success, or does Newell have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.