The Burke Cougars had to endure a five-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They walked away with a 45-35 win over Boyd County on Thursday. Given Burke's advantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 75th in South Dakota, while Boyd County is ranked 220th in Nebraska), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
When it comes to explaining why Boyd County lost, one person who can't be blamed is Paige Drueke. Despite the final result, she scored 12 points along with six assists and five rebounds. That was a full 34.3% of Boyd County's points, marking the ninth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Lanie Lechtenberg, who scored eight points.
Burke's win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-7. As for Boyd County, they dropped their record down to 4-12 with that loss, which was their seventh straight at home.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Burke will take on Gayville-Volin at 6:15 p.m. on Monday. Boyd County will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on St. Mary's at 6:15 p.m. on February 6th.
