The Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] Bobcats will challenge the Elkhorn Valley Falcons at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 59.1 points per game this season.
Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Laurel-Concord-Coleridge with a sharp 65-43 win. Given the Bobcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 45th in Nebraska, while the Bears are ranked 198th in Nebraska), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Sam Cheatum
02/25/25 vs Laurel-Concord-Coleridge | 67% |
02/15/25 vs Johnson-Brock | 43% |
02/13/25 @ Lutheran-Northeast | 25% |
02/11/25 vs Laurel-Concord-Coleridge | 38% |
02/08/25 vs West Holt | 22% |
+ 18 more games |
Sam Cheatum was his usual excellent self, going 8-for-12 en route to 26 points along with eight rebounds and five assists. Thanks to that strong game, he now owns an excellent 46.4% field goal percentage. The team also got some help courtesy of Preston Hoke, who went 5-for-10 to rack up 10 points and six assists.
They weren't the only ones working in the assist department: Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. They racked up eight more assists than Laurel-Concord-Coleridge's also-impressive total of 11.
Meanwhile, Elkhorn Valley came into Tuesday's game having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They came out on top against Plainview by a score of 47-39 on Tuesday.
Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] better focus on containing Korbin Werner and Kellyn Ollendick as the pair were huge in Elkhorn Valley's win. Werner dropped a double-double with 19 points and 16 boards, while Ollendick dropped a double-double with 16 points and ten rebounds. That makes it five consecutive games in which Ollendick has scored at least a third of Elkhorn Valley's points. Logan Black was another key player, putting up nine points.
Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard]'s victory was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 21-3. As for Elkhorn Valley, their win bumped their record up to 14-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30 boards per game. However, it's not like Elkhorn Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] was able to grind out a solid victory over Elkhorn Valley when the teams last played back in January, winning 35-26. Does Summerland [Clearwater/Ewing/Orchard] have another victory up their sleeve, or will Elkhorn Valley turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.