Preview: Ansley/Litchfield Spartans vs. Anselmo-Merna Coyotes
The Ansley/Litchfield Spartans's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Anselmo-Merna Coyotes at 6:00 p.m. on February 9th. Hopefully Ansley/Litchfield focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 37 last Monday.
Ansley/Litchfield won a close one the last time they played, but unfortunately they suffered a serious change of fortune last Monday. They ended up on the wrong side of a rough 56-33 walloping at the hands of Overton. While losing is never fun, Ansley/Litchfield can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 249th, while Overton is ranked 40th).
Ansley/Litchfield's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Kerry Ryan, who scored four points along with six rebounds and three blocks, and Ava Paitz who scored nine points.
Even though Anselmo-Merna has not done well against South Loup recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Anselmo-Merna enjoyed a cozy 51-34 victory over South Loup.
Anselmo-Merna's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Rhianen Myers, who almost dropped a double-double on 13 points and nine rebounds, and Makenna Miller, who scored 20 points along with three steals. Miller is crushing the steal category: she's posted at least three every time she's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Shayleigh Coleman, who scored five points along with nine rebounds.
Ansley/Litchfield has been struggling recently as they've lost 11 of their last 12 matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-14 record this season. As for Anselmo-Merna, their victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 9-13.
Friday's contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Ansley/Litchfield have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Anselmo-Merna struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Ansley/Litchfield didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Anselmo-Merna when the teams last played back in February of 2023, but they still walked away with a 41-36 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Ansley/Litchfield since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
