The Ralston Rams will take on the Platteview Trojans at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Ralston took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They came out on top against Beatrice by a score of 53-44.
Ralston got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Lamar Rucker out in front who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine rebounds. Manyok Manyok was another key player, putting up six points and six boards.
Meanwhile, Platteview was able to grind out a solid victory over Plattsmouth on Saturday, taking the game 56-43. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 35th, while the Blue Devils are ranked 106th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Platteview's win came from a few key players Ralston will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Elijah Steele, who posted 14 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Reiman Zebert, who went 5 for 6 en route to 10 points.
Platteview's win bumped their record up to 13-6. As for Ralston, their victory bumped their record up to 7-9.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Ralston has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 23.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Platteview struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Ralston took a serious blow against Platteview in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 66-31. Thankfully for Ralston, Braden Staudt (who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 11 boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
