The Norton Bluejays will face off against the Lakin Broncs at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
With a playoff game on the line, Norton rose to the challenge on Monday. They walked away with a 50-40 victory over the Bluejays. Given Norton's advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 92nd, while Cimarron is ranked 236th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Norton got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Roman Hauser out in front who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. Hauser has been hot recently, having posted eight or more assists the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Rylen Murray, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Lakin entered their tilt with Phillipsburg with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Lakin enjoyed a cozy 76-62 win over Phillipsburg on Monday. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Norton pushed their record up to 17-4 with that win, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Lakin, they are on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 14 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 17-4 record this season.
Norton strolled past Lakin in their previous meeting back in December of 2022 by a score of 43-29. The rematch might be a little tougher for Norton since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
