The Neligh-Oakdale Warriors are taking a road trip to square off against the North Central Knights at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
Neligh-Oakdale will bounce into Thursday's match after beating Creighton, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. Neligh-Oakdale came out on top against Creighton by a score of 44-31 on Tuesday.
Among those leading the charge was Jaquelin Luna-Duran, who posted 13 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals. Jaycee Gadeken was another key player, dropping a double-double with ten points and 13 boards.
Neligh-Oakdale smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since the start of last season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask North Central). They put the hurt on Plainview with a sharp 57-37 win on Tuesday.
North Central found their leader in sophomore Mya Lewis, who dropped a triple-double with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and ten steals. With that strong performance, Lewis is now averaging an impressive 8.1 boards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Karlene Kepler, who went 10-for-19 to rack up 20 points and five rebounds.
Neligh-Oakdale's victory was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 8-15. As for North Central, their record now sits at 13-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Neligh-Oakdale has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 21.3 boards per game. However, it's not like North Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 35.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Neligh-Oakdale came up short against North Central when the teams last played back in January of 2024, falling 60-47. Can Neligh-Oakdale avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
