After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Guardian Angels Central Catholic, the O'Neill Eagles were happy to have found some success on Saturday. They really took it to Neligh-Oakdale for the full four quarters, racking up a 59-29 victory at home. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest victory O'Neill has managed all season.
Leading O'Neill to victory were Lauryn Dusatko and Hannah Hilker. Dusatko scored 18 points along with nine rebounds, while Hilker scored 15 points along with five steals. That's the first time this season that Dusatko scored 15 or more points. Presley Heiss was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with four steals.
Neligh-Oakdale lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Hailey Horstmann, who scored eight points.
O'Neill's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-9. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.0 points per game. As for Neligh-Oakdale, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost six of their last seven contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-11 record this season.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. O'Neill will take on Norfolk Catholic at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Norfolk Catholic focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up nine on Friday. As for Neligh-Oakdale, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against West Holt. West Holt is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak.
