Basketball Game Preview: McCook Bison vs. Hastings Tigers

The McCook Bison will head out to challenge the Hastings Tigers at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

McCook is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Gothenburg just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They were beaten by the Swedes 62-31. While losing is never fun, the Bison can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 74th, while the Swedes are ranked 20th).

Meanwhile, Hastings didn't have quite enough to beat Aurora on Tuesday and fell 48-45.

Hastings has traveled a rocky road recently having lost seven of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-9 record this season. As for McCook, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-3.

McCook was able to grind out a solid win over Hastings in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, winning 55-46. Will McCook repeat their success, or does Hastings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.