The Scottsbluff Bearcats will head out on the road to face off against the North Platte Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hopefully Scottsbluff is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than the Bulldogs in Nebraska (the Bearcats are ranked 16th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 150th).
After a string of five wins, Scottsbluff's good fortune finally ran out on Saturday. They took a 58-51 hit to the loss column at the hands of Sidney.
Despite the defeat, Scottsbluff saw an underclassman step up: Nate Kelley scored 19 points. Kelley has been hot recently, having posted 15 or more points the last four times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Keon Delgado, who scored seven points along with eight rebounds and three blocks.
Meanwhile, North Platte didn't have too much breathing room in their game against the Tigers on Friday, but they still walked away with a 58-53 win.
Jesse Mauch continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 7 for 12 from beyond the arc en route to 35 points and 1 assist. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Landon O'brien was another key contributor, scoring nine points.
Scottsbluff's loss dropped their record down to 15-5. As for North Platte, their victory ended a five-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 5-9.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Scottsbluff have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27 rebounds per game. However, it's not like North Platte struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Scottsbluff and the Bulldogs were neck-and-neck in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, but the Bearcats came up empty-handed after a 55-54 defeat. Thankfully for Scottsbluff, River Johnston (who scored 29 points along with five rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
