Preview: Lincoln North Star Navigators vs. Elkhorn South Storm
The Lincoln North Star Navigators will head out on the road to face off against the Elkhorn South Storm at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Lincoln North Star posted their biggest victory yet this season on Saturday. They took their match at home with ease, bagging a 69-38 victory over Gretna. Lincoln North Star has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matches by 31 points or more this season.
Lincoln North Star's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kaytee Irons-Buettner led the charge by scoring 17 points along with three steals. Kendall Anderson was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, Elkhorn South scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They really took it to Buena Vista for the full four quarters, racking up a 75-27 win at home. With Elkhorn South ahead 49-12 at the half, the match was all but over already.
Elkhorn South got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Mollie Probasco out in front who scored 16 points along with two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Rowan Swartz, who scored 18 points.
Lincoln North Star's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-2. They've been dominating during the matches in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 26.33 points. As for Elkhorn South, the win got them back to even at 6-6.
Keep an eye on the arc in Saturday's contest: Lincoln North Star have been dynamite from deep this season, having drained 42.3% of their threes per game. It's a different story for Elkhorn South, though, as they've only nailed 33.8% of their threes per game this season. Given Lincoln North Star's sizeable advantage in that area, Elkhorn South will need to find a way to close that gap.
Lincoln North Star couldn't quite finish off Elkhorn South in their previous meeting back in January of 2022 and fell 45-43. Can Lincoln North Star avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
