The Winner Warriors will challenge the Lakota Tech Tatanka at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Winner is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last ten games.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Winner walked away with it. They took their contest at home on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 56-20 win over the Falcons. Winner has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matches by 21 points or more this season.
Winner got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Carter Craven out in front who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 rebounds. Craven is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down ten or more in the last three games he's played. Ryder Halligan was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Lakota Tech beat Little Wound 60-54 on Tuesday.
It was another big night for Gilbert White Jr., who scored 26 points along with five steals. He hasn't dropped below 25 points for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Julian Tonche, who scored 11 points.
Winner pushed their record up to 17-4 with that victory, which was their 19th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.6 points per game. As for Lakota Tech, the win got them back to even at 10-10.
Friday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Winner have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 42.8% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Lakota Tech struggles in that department as they've made 44.4% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Winner didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Lakota Tech in their previous meeting back in March of 2023, but they still walked away with a 52-46 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Winner since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
