The Lower Brule Sioux will be playing at home against the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Braves at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for Lower Brule and six for Cheyenne-Eagle Butte.
Last Thursday, Lower Brule came up short against Wessington Springs and fell 49-42. While losing is never fun, Lower Brule can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' South Dakota basketball rankings (they are ranked 123rd, while Wessington Springs is ranked 28th).
Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 76-39, which was the final score in Cheyenne-Eagle Butte's tilt against Wakpala on Monday.
Despite their defeat, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Suni Bowman, who scored eight points along with 15 rebounds and four blocks, was perhaps the best of all. Bowman has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last seven times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jailynn Knife, who scored two points along with 11 rebounds and three steals.
Lower Brule's defeat dropped their record down to 6-10. As for Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, their loss was their fourth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 4-13.
Everything came up roses for Lower Brule against Cheyenne-Eagle Butte in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 as the squad secured a 72-36 win. Does Lower Brule have another victory up their sleeve, or will Cheyenne-Eagle Butte turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
