Elgin/Pope John is a perfect 3-0 against O'Neill since January of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Wolfpack will welcome the Eagles at 5:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Elgin/Pope John is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Stuart: they outscored them in every quarter. The Wolfpack were the clear victors by a 59-34 margin over the Broncos on Friday. The Wolfpack haven't had any issues with the Broncos recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.
Braelyn Martinsen
| 01/16/26 @ Stuart | 5 |
| 01/13/26 vs Fullerton | 7 |
| 01/10/26 vs Bloomfield | 3 |
| 01/08/26 @ St. Mary's | 4 |
| 01/03/26 @ North Central | 2 |
| + 4 more games |
Braelyn Martinsen and Madelyn Kurpgeweit were among the main playmakers for Elgin/Pope John as the former dropped a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds and the latter dropped a double-double with 21 points and ten boards. Martinsen is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in each of the last nine games she's played. Elizabeth Moser was another key player, putting up four points.
Elgin/Pope John smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in nine consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter and that's exactly how it played out for O'Neill on Saturday. Everything went their way against Aurora as they made off with a 71-46 win. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 14th, while the Huskies are ranked 65th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
O'Neill's win came from a few key players that Elgin/Pope John will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Hannah Hilker, who went 7-for-16 en route to 18 points. Another player making a difference was Bergyn Classen, who shot 78% from the field to rack up 16 points.
Elgin/Pope John's victory bumped their record up to 13-2. As for O'Neill, their win bumped their record up to 13-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Elgin/Pope John has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.8 boards per game. However, it's not like O'Neill struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Elgin/Pope John beat O'Neill 50-39 in their previous meeting back in January of 2018. Do the Wolfpack have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
