The North Central Knights will square off against the Neligh-Oakdale Warriors at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
North Central is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. Everything went their way against Plainview on Tuesday as North Central made off with a 57-37 win.
Mya Lewis
| 02/18/25 vs Plainview | 27 |
| 01/24/25 vs Anselmo-Merna | 25 |
| 02/13/25 @ Valentine | 24 |
| 01/17/25 vs Twin Loup | 24 |
| 12/06/24 vs Burwell | 24 |
North Central found their leader in sophomore Mya Lewis, who dropped a triple-double with 27 points, 12 boards, and ten steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Lewis has scored all season. Karlene Kepler was another key player, going 10-for-19 on her way to 20 points and five rebounds.
North Central was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Neligh-Oakdale hadn't done well against Creighton recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Neligh-Oakdale walked away with a 44-31 victory over Creighton.
North Central better keep an eye on Jaquelin Luna-Duran. She was instrumental in Neligh-Oakdale's win, putting up 13 points in addition to six boards and three steals. Another player making a difference was Jaycee Gadeken, who dropped a double-double with ten points and 13 rebounds.
Neligh-Oakdale's win was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 8-15. As for North Central, their victory bumped their record up to 13-11.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: North Central has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 35.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Neligh-Oakdale struggles in that department as they've been averaging 21.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
North Central was able to grind out a solid win over Neligh-Oakdale when the teams last played back in January of 2024, winning 60-47. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Neligh-Oakdale's Hailey Horstmann, who went 7-for-11 to rack up 23 points and three steals. Now that she won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for North Central to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
