Basketball Game Preview: West Point-Beemer Cadets vs. Lyons-Decatur Northeast Cougars

The West Point-Beemer Cadets will face off against the Lyons-Decatur Northeast Cougars at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. West Point-Beemer has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

On Thursday, West Point-Beemer was able to grind out a solid victory over Bancroft-Rosalie, taking the game 64-52. Given the Cadets' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while the Panthers are ranked 145th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Allie Kaup was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 23 points and 18 boards. The game was her third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Campbell Snodgrass, who went 6 of 13 en route to 19 points.

West Point-Beemer smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in three consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Lyons-Decatur Northeast's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They were beaten by Pender 69-17. The contest marked the Cougars' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

West Point-Beemer has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.5 points per game. As for Lyons-Decatur Northeast, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-7.

West Point-Beemer took their win against Lyons-Decatur Northeast when the teams last played back in January of 2024 by a conclusive 48-26. Will West Point-Beemer repeat their success, or does Lyons-Decatur Northeast have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.