There's no place like home for the Boyd County Spartans, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road last Saturday. They managed a 50-44 victory over St. Mary on Tuesday. The win was all the more spectacular given Boyd County's disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 209th, while St. Mary's is ranked 78th).
Derris Hansen was his usual excellent self, scoring 22 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. He hasn't dropped below 16 points for four straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Hudson Hoffman, who scored nine points along with five rebounds.
Despite the defeat, St. Mary's saw an underclassman step up: Gage Hedstrom almost dropped a double-double on 23 points and nine rebounds. Eli Banks was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with five rebounds.
Boyd County's win bumped their record up to 7-10. As for St. Mary's, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-5.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Boyd County will face off against Niobrara/Verdigre at 7:45 p.m. on Friday. Boyd County is facing Niobrara/Verdigre at the right time seeing as Niobrara/Verdigre is stuck on a 16-game losing streak. As for St. Mary's, they will head out on the road to face off against West Holt at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. West Holt will roll in looking for their 11th straight win, something St. Mary's surely won't give up without a fight.
