Basketball Game Preview: Red Cloud Warriors vs. Franklin Flyers

Red Cloud and Franklin are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2018, but not for long. The Warriors will face off against the Flyers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Red Cloud has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 187 points over their last three matchups.

Red Cloud is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Elba: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Warriors blew the Bluejays out of the water with a 65-34 final score. The win continues a trend for the Warriors in their matchups with the Bluejays: they've now won six in a row.

Aiva Rust

Points

01/10/26 @ Elba	26
01/09/26 vs Giltner/Harvard	24
01/03/26 @ Bruning-Davenport/Shickley	28
12/30/25 @ Hershey	22
12/29/25 @ Twin Loup	21
+ 2 more games

It was another big night for Aiva Rust, who almost dropped a double-double with 26 points and nine steals. Her big performance that afternoon made it seven games in a row in which she has scored at least 20 points. Another player making a difference was Camrie Fangmeyer, who posted 12 points.

Red Cloud was working as a unit and finished the game with 20 assists. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now racked up at least 20 assists in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Franklin, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Tuesday. They snuck past Grand Island Lutheran with a 40-35 victory on Tuesday. The score was all tied up 12-12 at the break, but the Flyers were the better team in the second half.

Red Cloud's record is now 9-1. As for Franklin, the win got them back to even at 5-5.

Everything came up roses for Red Cloud against Franklin in their previous matchup back in January of 2025, as the team secured a 57-30 victory. Do the Warriors have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Flyers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.