The Hay Springs Hawks just played last night, but they'll still head out to face the Garden County Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on February 9th. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Hay Springs has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They were the victim of a rough 47-27 loss at the hands of Crawford on Thursday. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Hay Springs has scored all season.
Despite their defeat, Hay Springs saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Mya Turman, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds and two steals, was perhaps the best of all. Turman hasn't dropped below two steals for 12 straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Kya Binger, who scored three points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, Garden County's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their fifth straight loss. They were dealt a 72-12 defeat at the hands of Leyton. While losing is never fun, Garden County can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 258th, while Leyton is ranked 104th).
Hay Springs' loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 14-6. As for Garden County, their defeat was their fourth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 5-16.
Hay Springs took their win against Garden County in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 by a conclusive 56-36. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hay Springs since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
