Kimball takes loss despite strong efforts from Kyler Lusche and Brandon Paxton

By Team Reports Jan 28, 2024, 5:47pm

Recap: Kimball Longhorns vs. St. Patrick's Irish

After flying high against the Sutherland Sailors last Thursday, the Kimball Longhorns came back down to earth. Kimball received a tough blow on Saturday as they fell 53-39 to St. Patrick. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Kimball in their matchups with St. Patrick's: they've now lost five in a row.

Brandon Paxton and Kyler Lusche certainly did their best on Saturday to try and avoid the loss. Paxton scored 15 points along with six blocks and three steals, while Lusche scored ten points along with five rebounds and two steals. Paxton hasn't dropped below two blocks for ten straight games. Another player making a difference was Ryker Behrend, who scored eight points.

Kimball has been struggling recently, as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-6 record this season. As for St. Patrick's, they pushed their record up to 12-3 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Kimball will take on Bayard at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Bayard will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Nebraska Rankings (they are ranked 251st, while Kimball is ranked 120th). As for St. Patrick's, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Chase County at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.