The Lyons-Decatur Northeast Cougars and the Madison Dragons will round out the year against one another at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday at. Lyons-Decatur Northeast will be strutting in after a victory while Madison will be coming in after a defeat.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 12 to 1 on the offensive boards, a fact Lyons-Decatur Northeast proved on Tuesday. They walked away with a 63-51 victory over Winside.
Lyons-Decatur Northeast's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Braden Hardin, who scored 15 points along with eight assists. That's the first time this season that Hardin posted eight or more assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Talan Mock, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, things could have been worse for Madison, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 65-49 loss to Oakland-Craig last Saturday. It was the first time this season that Madison let down their fans at home.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Bodonn Sweeney, who scored six points along with eight rebounds and three steals. That's the first time this season that he pulled down eight or more rebounds. Jeremiah Sanchez was another key contributor, scoring 18 points.
Lyons-Decatur Northeast's win ended a four-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 3-4. As for Madison, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-3 record this season.
Thursday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Lyons-Decatur Northeast have been dynamite from deep this season, having only made 35.1% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Madison struggles in that department as they've only nailed 32.2% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Lyons-Decatur Northeast couldn't quite finish off Madison when the teams last played back in January and fell 55-52. Can Lyons-Decatur Northeast avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
