Lutheran-Northeast has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. The Lutheran-Northeast Eagles and the Hartington-Newcastle Wildcats will round out the year against one another at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday at. Lutheran-Northeast will be strutting in after a victory while Hartington-Newcastle will be coming in after a loss.
Lutheran-Northeast has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 21 points or more this season. Everything went their way against Wakefield on Thursday as Lutheran-Northeast made off with a 56-34 win. The team accrued 47 points in the first half and coasted on those for the win.
Lutheran-Northeast's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Braden Feddern led the charge by scoring 15 points along with five rebounds. Those five rebounds set a new season-high mark for him. Another player making a difference was Josh Rojas, who scored 12 points.
Meanwhile, Hartington-Newcastle fought the good fight in their overtime game against Boyd County on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 39-38 to the Spartans. Hartington-Newcastle has struggled against Boyd County recently, as their matchup on Tuesday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Riley Sudbeck, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 16 rebounds. He is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last three games he's played. Brayden Lammers was another key contributor, scoring six points along with 11 rebounds and six steals.
Even though they lost, Hartington-Newcastle were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Lutheran-Northeast pushed their record up to 9-0 with that win, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. They've been dominating during the games in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 18.4 points. As for Hartington-Newcastle, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-5 record this season.
Everything came up roses for Lutheran-Northeast against Hartington-Newcastle in their previous matchup back in December of 2021 as the squad secured a 69-36 victory. With Lutheran-Northeast ahead 39-16 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
