Basketball Game Preview: Castlewood Warriors vs. Great Plains Lutheran Panthers

Castlewood has gone 8-1 against Great Plains Lutheran recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Castlewood Warriors will look to defend their home court against the Great Plains Lutheran Panthers at 6:30 p.m.

Last Tuesday, Castlewood came up short against Clark/Willow Lake and fell 50-39.

Despite the loss, Castlewood saw an underclassman step up: freshman Ava Ruml posted eight points and four blocks. Those four blocks set a new season-high mark for Ruml.

Meanwhile, Great Plains Lutheran entered their tilt with Estelline/Hendricks on Tuesday with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. They snuck past Estelline/Hendricks with a 31-26 win.

Great Plains Lutheran's win came from a few key players Castlewood will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kate Holmen, who put up eight points and ten boards. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in rebounds. Another player making a difference was Katherine Prahl, who scored eight points and six steals.

Castlewood has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-4 record this season. As for Great Plains Lutheran, they picked up their first home victory, bumping their record up to 5-2.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Castlewood has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28 boards per game. However, it's not like Great Plains Lutheran struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Castlewood and Great Plains Lutheran were neck-and-neck in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, but Castlewood came up empty-handed after a 43-42 defeat. Will Castlewood have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.