The McCool Junction Mustangs will challenge the Nebraska Lutheran Knights at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. McCool Junction is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 61.2 points per game this season.
McCool Junction took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 69-62 victory over East Butler.
| 02/04/25 vs East Butler | 30 |
| 02/16/24 vs Giltner | 29 |
| 12/05/24 vs Cross County | 28 |
| 01/28/25 vs East Butler | 24 |
| 01/17/25 @ Deshler | 23 |
It was another big night for Carson Mcdonald, who went 12 of 21 en route to 30 points and five assists. Those 30 points gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryson Plock, who went 5 for 9 on his way to 14 points.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Nebraska Lutheran over Dorchester in every quarter on their way to victory on Thursday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Nebraska Lutheran blew Dorchester out of the water with a 66-27 final score. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Knights had established a 33 point advantage.
Nebraska Lutheran's win came from a few key players McCool Junction will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Lukas Worster, who went 6 of 13 en route to 16 points and five steals. He has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last eight times he's played. Another player making a difference was Bob Papik, who posted 14 points and five rebounds.
McCool Junction's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-4. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.8 points per game. As for Nebraska Lutheran, their victory ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 7-9.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: McCool Junction has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Nebraska Lutheran struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
McCool Junction strolled past Nebraska Lutheran in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 by a score of 69-54. The rematch might be a little tougher for McCool Junction since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
