Columbus hasn't had much luck against Grand Island recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Columbus Discoverers will host the Grand Island Islanders at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Columbus is headed into Thursday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their sixth straight game on Saturday. They were dealt an 85-58 defeat at the hands of Lincoln East. The Discoverers were down 69-44 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.
Despite their loss, Columbus saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Blake Barnett, who posted eight points, was perhaps the best of all. Quenton Gustafson was another key player, putting up eight points and five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Columbus smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Grand Island, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They walked away with a 64-52 victory over Lincoln East on Thursday.
Columbus better keep an eye on Babur Choul. He was instrumental in Grand Island's win, going 9-for-19 on his way to 27 points in addition to eight boards and five assists. With that strong performance, Choul is now averaging an impressive 15 points per game. Another player making a difference was Broxton Barrientos, who went 5-for-8 en route to 13 points.
Grand Island's win bumped their record up to 9-11. As for Columbus, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-16.
Columbus couldn't quite finish off Grand Island in their previous meeting back in December of 2024 and fell 56-54. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Choul, who dropped a double-double with 20 points and ten rebounds. Now that Columbus knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
