The Alliance Bulldogs will head out on the road to challenge the Lexington Minutemen at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with eight consecutive losses for Alliance and six for Lexington.
Last Saturday, Alliance had to suffer through a rough 79-49 loss at the hands of Rapid City Christian. While losing is never fun, Alliance can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 181st in Nebraska, while Rapid City Christian is ranked seventh in South Dakota).
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Espen Lanik, who scored 12 points along with three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Filippo Bandera, who scored 11 points.
Meanwhile, Lexington ended up a good deal behind Adams Central on Thursday and lost 53-36. Lexington has struggled against Adams Central recently, as their game on Thursday was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Alliance's loss was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 5-15. As for Lexington, they have not been sharp recently as the team has lost seven of their last eight contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-16 record this season.
Alliance beat Lexington 63-53 when the teams last played back in February of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Lexington's Dru Truax, who shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and almost dropped a double-double on 20 points and nine rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Saturday, will it be that much easier for Alliance to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
