Sutherland and Maxwell are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2016, but not for long. The Sutherland Sailors will take on the Maxwell Wildcats in a tournament on Tuesday. Sutherland has now lost seven straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since December 21.
Sutherland is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against Dundy County-Stratton on Saturday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Sutherland was outmatched by Dundy County-Stratton and fell 73-29. The Sailors were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 51-17.
Sutherland's defeat came about despite a quality game from Mason Mortimer, who posted 12 points.
Meanwhile, Maxwell lost to Wallace at home by a 53-37 margin on Saturday. That's two games in a row now that Maxwell has lost by exactly 16 points.
Sutherland will need focus on slowing down Jagger Kleewein, one of several Maxwell players who made an impact when they last played. He put up two points in addition to five boards and four steals. Those four steals gave Kleewein a new career-high. Owen Pagel was another key player, putting up six points.
Maxwell has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-12 record this season. As for Sutherland, their loss dropped their record down to 2-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sutherland has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 23 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Maxwell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Sutherland couldn't quite finish off Maxwell when the teams last played back in February of 2024 and fell 37-35. Can Sutherland avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
