Basketball Game Preview: Gregory Gorillas vs. Viborg/Hurley Cougars

The Gregory Gorillas and the Viborg/Hurley Cougars will round out the year against one another at at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Viborg/Hurley is hoping to do what North Central couldn't on Saturday: put an end to Gregory's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Gregory breezed by North Central to the tune of 61-23. The Gorillas have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matchups by 28 points or more this season.

Noah Bearshield and Lincoln Juracek were among the main playmakers for Gregory as the former went 8 of 12 on his way to 21 points and the latter went 5 for 6 on his way to 14 points. The dominant performance gave Juracek a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Cruz Klundt, who posted four points in addition to five assists and five boards.

Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Viborg/Hurley against Irene/Wakonda on Friday as the squad secured a 74-45 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cougars.

Gregory pushed their record up to 3-1 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.0 points per game. As for Viborg/Hurley, they now have a winning record of 2-1.

Gregory lost to Viborg/Hurley on the road by a decisive 58-44 margin in their previous matchup back in December of 2022. Can Gregory avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.