Basketball Game Preview: Elkhorn Valley Falcons vs. Hartington-Newcastle Wildcats

The Elkhorn Valley Falcons will be taking part in a tournament against the Hartington-Newcastle Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Elkhorn Valley is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.4 points per game this season.

Last Tuesday, Elkhorn Valley came up short against Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] and fell 35-26. The Falcons haven't had much luck with the Bobcats recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Kellyn Ollendick, who almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine rebounds. He has been hot recently, having posted nine or more boards the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Korbin Werner, who posted seven points and 14 rebounds.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Hartington-Newcastle, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They secured a 60-56 W over Winnebago on Thursday.

Hartington-Newcastle's win came from a few key players Elkhorn Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Brayden Lammers, who put up 14 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Cole Rosener, who earned 13 points.

Hartington-Newcastle's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-10. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.5 points per game. As for Elkhorn Valley, their defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 12-4.

Elkhorn Valley strolled past Hartington-Newcastle in their previous meeting back in January by a score of 50-35. The rematch might be a little tougher for Elkhorn Valley since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.