Basketball Game Preview: Stanton Mustangs vs. Norfolk Catholic Knights

The Stanton Mustangs will take on the Norfolk Catholic Knights at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Stanton lost to West Point-Beemer at home by a 54-35 margin. The Mustangs haven't had much luck with the Cadets recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.

Despite the defeat, Stanton saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Hayden Dixon posted ten points. Bergan Pohlman was another key player, putting up six points.

Meanwhile, Norfolk Catholic didn't have too much trouble with Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] on Tuesday as they won 52-36.

Stanton better keep an eye on Sidonia Wattier. She was instrumental in Norfolk Catholic's win, going 7 of 16 on her way to 16 points along with eight boards and five steals. The dominant performance gave Wattier a new career-high in steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Eva Hartzell, who put up 12 points and five rebounds.

Stanton now has a losing record at 1-2. As for Norfolk Catholic, they now have a winning record of 2-1.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Stanton has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 28.7 boards per game. However, it's not like Norfolk Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 36.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Stanton was dealt a bruising 57-28 loss at the hands of Norfolk Catholic when the teams last played back in December of 2023. Thankfully for Stanton, Avery Yosten (who went 11 of 15 on her way to 27 points and five rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.