Basketball Game Preview: Elm Creek Buffaloes vs. Pleasanton Bulldogs

Elm Creek is 2-8 against Pleasanton since February of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Elm Creek Buffaloes will head out on the road to square off against the Pleasanton Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. Elm Creek will be looking to extend their current nine-game winning streak.

Last Saturday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Elm Creek beat Kenesaw 60-56. Given the Buffaloes' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 29th, while the Blue Devils are ranked 168th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Ryann Erickson and Kendal Cavenee were among the main playmakers for Elm Creek as the former posted 18 points in addition to seven rebounds and six steals and the latter went 8 for 16 en route to 20 points and three steals. Cavenee has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 17 times she's played. Teagan Mcdaniel was another key player, putting up five points and three steals.

Elm Creek smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kenesaw only pulled down six offensive rebounds.

Meanwhile, Pleasanton strolled past Ansley/Litchfield with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 50-31. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bulldogs.

Pleasanton has also been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.6 points per game. As for Elm Creek, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-1.

Elm Creek took their victory against Pleasanton in their previous meeting back in January of 2024 by a conclusive 53-32. Will Elm Creek repeat their success, or does Pleasanton have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.