The Grand Island Islanders will square off against the Lincoln Southwest Silver Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Grand Island is headed into the matchup having just posted their biggest win since December 19, 2023 on Saturday. Everything went their way against Omaha Northwest as Grand Island made off with a 55-33 victory.
Victor Fisher Jr continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 11 for 19 on his way to 30 points and five boards. Babur Choul was another key player, putting up ten points.
Grand Island was working as a unit and finished the game with 13 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Omaha Northwest only racked up three assists.
Meanwhile, Lincoln Southwest posted their closest win since December 7, 2024 on Saturday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 81-79 victory over Benson. Given the Silver Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 50th, while the Bunnies are ranked 154th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Grand Island better keep an eye on Uzziah Sanders. He was instrumental in Lincoln Southwest's win, going 14 of 17 en route to 35 points in addition to five rebounds and five steals. Sanders has become a key player for Lincoln Southwest: the team is 6-2 when he posts at least three steals, but 2-3 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Makkiah Sanders, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten boards.
Grand Island is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a massive bump to their 6-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.8 points per game. As for Lincoln Southwest, their win bumped their record up to 8-5.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Grand Island has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Lincoln Southwest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Grand Island lost to Lincoln Southwest at home by a decisive 70-53 margin when the teams last played back in December of 2023. Will Grand Island have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
