The Alliance Bulldogs will head out on the road to square off against the Dundy County-Stratton Tigers at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Alliance has now lost eight straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since January 16.
Last Saturday, Alliance took a serious blow against Rapid City Christian, falling 79-49. While losing is never fun, Alliance can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 181st in Nebraska, while Rapid City Christian is ranked seventh in South Dakota).
Despite their defeat, Alliance saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Espen Lanik, who scored 12 points along with three steals, was perhaps the best of all. Filippo Bandera was another key contributor, scoring 11 points.
Meanwhile, Dundy County-Stratton beat Southern Valley 61-48 on Thursday. The victory was just what Dundy County-Stratton needed coming off of a 50-26 defeat in their prior match.
Jackson Kerchal continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 29 points and 21 rebounds. He has been hot recently, having posted two or more blocks the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of August Shaw, who scored 11 points.
Alliance has traveled a rocky road recently having lost nine of their last ten matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-15 record this season. As for Dundy County-Stratton, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-5.
Friday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Alliance have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 38.3% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Dundy County-Stratton struggles in that department as they've made 44% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Alliance couldn't quite finish off Dundy County-Stratton in their previous meeting back in January of 2023 and fell 69-66. Can Alliance avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
