Axtell is 0-10 against Southern Valley since February of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Axtell Wildcats will head out on the road to square off against the Southern Valley Eagles at 6:30 p.m. Axtell will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Axtell's and Southwest's contest on Friday was close at halftime, but Axtell turned on the heat in the second half with 44 points. Axtell claimed a resounding 69-38 victory over Southwest at home. Given Axtell's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 86th, while Southwest is ranked 231st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Axtell's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ethan Morgan, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds. Morgan is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Cayson Havranek, who scored 16 points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, Southern Valley struggled with offensive rebounds on Thursday (Dundy County-Stratton had seven more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Southern Valley fell 61-48 to Dundy County-Stratton. Southern Valley has struggled against Dundy County-Stratton recently, as their match on Thursday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Kamden Bose, who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Isaac Hamilton, who scored 17 points.
Axtell has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. As for Southern Valley, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-12 record this season.
Friday's match will pit two of the most dominant forwards against one another: Morgan and Bose. Morgan has been dynamite this season: he has averaged 11.9 points, 1.7 blocks, and 9 rebounds. For his part, Bose has averaged 15.9 points, 1.8 steals, and 6 rebounds.
Axtell came up short against Southern Valley in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, falling 57-53. Can Axtell avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
