Basketball Game Preview: Lake of the Woods Bears vs. Kelliher/Northome Mustangs

Lake of the Woods hasn't had much luck against Kelliher/Northome recently, but that could start to change on Monday. After both having extra time off, both will shake off the cobwebs and challenge one another at 7:15 p.m. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Lake of the Woods is headed into Monday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game two weeks ago. They were beaten by Mille Lacs co-op [Isle/Onamia] 49-21. The contest marked the Bears' lowest-scoring match so far this season.

Meanwhile, Kelliher/Northome played a tough game two weeks ago in which they were outscored in every quarter. They had to suffer through a 96-68 loss at the hands of Mountain Iron-Buhl. The game was over by the end of the first half, with no points scored by either team from that point forward.

Lake of the Woods will have to keep a close watch on Kylee Binkley and Kate Thayer, a pair of players who had a big impact on Kelliher/Northome's prior game. Binkley dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 boards, while Thayer almost dropped a double-double on 19 points and nine rebounds. The match was Thayer's seventh in a row with at least ten points.

Even though they lost, Kelliher/Northome smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive boards in eight consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Lake of the Woods' loss dropped their record down to 1-5. As for Kelliher/Northome, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-2.

Lake of the Woods was dealt a bruising 85-20 loss at the hands of Kelliher/Northome in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Thayer, who dropped a double-double on 28 points and 12 steals. Now that Lake of the Woods knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.