Basketball Game Preview: Norton Bluejays vs. Russell Broncos

The Norton Bluejays will look to take advantage of their home court for the first time this season as they take on the Russell Broncos at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses apiece.

It was a Battle of the Birds when Norton duked it out withSouthern Valley on Tuesday. Norton might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting Southern Valley an easy 52-26 victory. The Bluejays were down 40-13 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.

Hallie Brooks put forth a good effort for the losing side as she posted nine points along with six boards and three steals. That was a full 34.6% of Norton's points, marking the fifth time in a row she's had more than a third of the team's points.

Meanwhile, Russell lost to Pratt on the road by a 43-29 margin on Tuesday. The contest marked the Broncos' lowest-scoring match so far this season.

Russell's defeat dropped their record down to 1-4. As for Norton, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 1-4.

Norton beat Russell 44-31 in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. Will Norton repeat their success, or does Russell have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.