Basketball Game Preview: Ness City Eagles vs. Hodgeman County Longhorns

The Ness City Eagles will head out on the road to square off against the Hodgeman County Longhorns at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Having struggled with five defeats in a row dating back to last season, Ness City turned things around against Osborne on Monday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Bulldogs 63-30. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Eagles have posted since February 5th.

Ness City found their leader in sophomore Drake Woods, who went 7 for 14 on his way to 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Dakoda McDonald, who posted eight points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Hodgeman County's strategy against Northern Valley on Monday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Hodgeman County blew Northern Valley out of the water with a 64-19 final score. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Longhorns had established a 38 point advantage.

Hodgeman County's win came from a few key players Ness City will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ian Reece, who went 6 of 9 on his way to 13 points in addition to six rebounds and four steals. Those four steals gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brody Schroeder, who had 13 points.

The victory got Ness City back to even at 1-1. As for Hodgeman County, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 2-0.

Ness City took a serious blow against Hodgeman County in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 79-22. Thankfully for Ness City, Owen Reece (who dropped a double-double on 28 points and 13 boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.