The Nebraska Lutheran Knights just played last night, but they'll still head out to face the McCool Junction Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. on February 2nd. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Nebraska Lutheran scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They claimed a resounding 68-32 victory over Dorchester on the road. The win was just what Nebraska Lutheran needed coming off of a 69-29 loss in their prior game.
Nebraska Lutheran can attribute much of their success to Lukas Worster, who scored 13 points along with five steals, and Eli Vogt, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Silas Vogel, who scored ten points.
Meanwhile, McCool Junction really took it to the Tigers for the full four quarters, racking up a 71-29 win on the road. Given McCool Junction's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 53rd, while the Tigers are ranked 211th), the result on Tuesday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ryland Garretson was his usual excellent self, almost dropping a double-double on 24 points and nine rebounds. Garretson is crushing the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Mapieu Kouchinin, who scored 19 points along with two steals.
Nebraska Lutheran's record now sits at 10-5. As for McCool Junction, their win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-3.
Friday's match is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Nebraska Lutheran have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like McCool Junction struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Nebraska Lutheran came up short against the Mustangs in their previous meeting on Friday, falling 40-28. Can Nebraska Lutheran avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
