Basketball Game Preview: Oakland-Craig Knights vs. South Sioux City Cardinals

The Oakland-Craig Knights will take on the South Sioux City Cardinals at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Oakland-Craig is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.

Oakland-Craig's tournament run continued when they took on Malcolm on Saturday. Oakland-Craig managed a 62-56 win over Malcolm. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked sixth, while the Clippers are ranked 60th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Oakland-Craig to victory, but perhaps none more so than Briar Ray, who posted 16 points in addition to six rebounds and five assists. Ray is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last six games she's played. Another player making a difference was Adi Rennerfeldt, who went 8 for 11 on her way to 19 points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, South Sioux City can finally bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Monday. They took down Winnebago 58-39. That 19 point margin sets a new team best for the Cardinals this season.

Oakland-Craig better keep an eye on Bailee Durant. She was instrumental in South Sioux City's win, putting up 22 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Keyana Weaver, who had ten points.

Oakland-Craig's victory bumped their record up to 8-0. As for South Sioux City, their win bumped their record up to 3-6.

Oakland-Craig came up short against South Sioux City when the teams last played back in December of 2023, falling 68-61. Thankfully for Oakland-Craig, Brooklyn Heineman (who went 8 of 18 on her way to 30 points in addition to eight boards and five steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.