Having just played yesterday, the Clarkson/Leigh Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the Pender Pendragons at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Clarkson/Leigh has struggled recently with six losses in a row, while Pender will arrive with five straight wins.
On Friday, Clarkson/Leigh came up short against Archangels Catholic and fell 59-49. While losing is never fun, the Patriots can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 231st, while the Defenders are ranked 93rd).
| 01/17/25 vs Archangels Catholic | 14 |
| 12/30/24 vs Schuyler | 13 |
| 12/07/24 vs Madison | 13 |
| 12/12/24 vs Bancroft-Rosalie | 11 |
| 12/10/24 @ Oakland-Craig | 10 |
The losing side was boosted by Kyle McMullin, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 14 rebounds. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Tucker Matthies, who posted 12 points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Pender against Homer on Tuesday as the team secured a 70-31 victory. The Pendragons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six games by 20 points or more this season.
Pender found their leader in sophomore Zander Welsh, who went 9 for 17 on his way to 27 points along with six boards and four steals. Those 27 points set a new season-high mark for Welsh. Another player making a difference was Alex Roth, who went 6 of 11 en route to 13 points and six rebounds.
Pender smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in five consecutive matches.
Pender pushed their record up to 13-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. As for Clarkson/Leigh, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-12.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Clarkson/Leigh has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Pender struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything went Clarkson/Leigh's way against Pender when the teams last played back in January of 2023, as Clarkson/Leigh made off with a 62-37 victory. Does Clarkson/Leigh have another victory up their sleeve, or will Pender turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
