Preview: Nebraska Lutheran Knights vs. Osceola Bulldogs
Nebraska Lutheran is 1-9 against Osceola since January of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Nebraska Lutheran Knights' road trip will continue as they head out to face the Osceola Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on January 25th. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Nebraska Lutheran put the finishing touches on their fifth blowout victory of the season on Monday. They were the clear victor by a 57-33 margin over Shelby-Rising City. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win Nebraska Lutheran has posted since December 12, 2023.
Nebraska Lutheran's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Lukas Worster, who scored 15 points along with eight rebounds. That's the first time this season that Worster pulled down eight or more rebounds. Isaac Beiermann was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, Osceola waltzed into their matchup on Monday with two straight wins but they left with three. They came out on top against Bruning-Davenport/Shickley by a score of 56-48.
It was another big night for Kale Gustafson, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 13 rebounds. That makes it 13 consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Osceola's points. Another player making a difference was Braxton Mestl, who scored seven points along with six rebounds.
Nebraska Lutheran's victory bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Osceola, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season.
Thursday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Nebraska Lutheran have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 40.5% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Osceola struggles in that department as they've made 46.4% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Nebraska Lutheran ended up a good deal behind Osceola in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, losing 71-52. Can Nebraska Lutheran avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
