A feisty cat fight will be fought as the Cardinals take on the Cougars at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in Alma's favor as the team sits on 12 straight wins at home while Sandy Creek has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
On Tuesday, Alma needed a bit of extra time to put away Twin River. They walked away with a 45-37 win over the Titans. Given the Cardinals' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 82nd in Nebraska, while the Titans are ranked 205th in Nebraska), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Tucker Biskup
| 02/25/25 vs Twin River | 8 |
| 02/21/25 @ Arapahoe | 3 |
| 02/14/25 vs Cambridge | 4 |
| 02/11/25 vs Phillipsburg | 2 |
| 02/07/25 @ Southern Valley | 4 |
| + 11 more games |
Alma can attribute much of their success to Tucker Biskup, who went 7-for-15 en route to 18 points and eight rebounds, and Zavier Mitchell, who dropped a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards. That's the most boards Biskup has posted since back in January. Isaiah Neal was another key player, putting up seven points and seven rebounds.
Alma smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Sandy Creek got the win against Amherst on Tuesday by a conclusive 57-33. The Cougars have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 21 points or more this season.
Alma better focus on containing Wes Biltoft and Ethan Shaw as the pair were huge in Sandy Creek's win. Biltoft dropped a double-double with 13 points and 18 boards, while Shaw dropped a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Shaw's big performance that evening made it seven games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kamerin Sealey, who scored nine points along with six boards and five assists.
Sandy Creek's victory bumped their record up to 14-10. As for Alma, their win bumped their record up to 22-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Alma has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Sandy Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Alma came out on top in a nail-biter against Sandy Creek when the teams last played back in February of 2019, sneaking past 50-47. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Sandy Creek's Wyatt Mach, who went 10-for-21 to rack up 25 points in addition to seven rebounds and four blocks. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for Alma to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
