Basketball Game Preview: Hartington-Newcastle Wildcats vs. Neligh-Oakdale Warriors

The Hartington-Newcastle Wildcats are taking a road trip to face off against the Neligh-Oakdale Warriors at 7:45 p.m. on Monday. Hartington-Newcastle will be strutting in after a win while Neligh-Oakdale will be coming in after a defeat.

Hartington-Newcastle took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They walked away with a 46-35 victory over Tri County Northeast.

Hartington-Newcastle's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Brayden Lammers led the charge by dropping a double-double on 11 points and 16 rebounds. With that strong performance, Lammers is now averaging an impressive 2.1 blocks per game. Austin Sudbeck was another key player, putting up nine points and six boards.

Hartington-Newcastle smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in three consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Neligh-Oakdale was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their 27th straight loss dating back to last season. They were outmatched by Madison and fell 69-27. One positive for the Warriors, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.

Hartington-Newcastle's record now sits at 4-8. As for Neligh-Oakdale, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-14.

Hartington-Newcastle came up short against Neligh-Oakdale when the teams last played back in December of 2022, falling 58-49. Thankfully for Hartington-Newcastle, Chase Furstenau (who went 5 for 10 en route to 18 points and eight rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.