The Columbus Discoverers's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. They fell 57-44 to Lincoln Northeast. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Columbus in their matchups with Lincoln Northeast: they've now lost eight in a row.
When it comes to explaining why Columbus lost, one person who can't be blamed is Luke Messersmith. Despite the final result, he scored 14 points along with three steals. Those 14 points set a new season-high mark for him. Tanner Esch was another key contributor, scoring eight points along with seven rebounds and five assists.
Lincoln Northeast's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Brecken Wilke, who scored seven points along with five rebounds and four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Wilke has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyan Lenhoff, who scored nine points.
Columbus bumped their record down to 1-5 with that loss, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Lincoln Northeast, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Columbus won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Millard South at 7:15 p.m. on December 16th. Allowing an average of 50 points per game, Millard South has struggled on the defensive end, but that doesn't have to be the case in this contest. Lincoln Northeast won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Burke at 1:00 p.m. on December 16th. Burke will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Nebraska Rankings (they are ranked 219th, while Lincoln Northeast is ranked 95th).
