Having just played yesterday, the Kearney Catholic Stars will head out on the road to face off against the North Platte Bulldogs at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Kearney Catholic is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 60 points last Tuesday, they were much more limited against Grand Island Central Catholic on Friday. They were dealt a 63-29 defeat at the hands of the Crusaders. The contest marked the Stars' lowest-scoring match so far this season.
Despite the loss, Kearney Catholic saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Jacob Bosshamer posted nine points. Another player making a difference was Oliver Sharp, who put up five points and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, North Platte was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their 12th straight defeat dating back to last season. They were beaten by Pius X 72-35. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 264th, while the Thunderbolts are ranked 53rd).
Kearney Catholic will need focus on slowing down Easton Jones, one of several North Platte players who made an impact when they last played. He earned 13 points.
Kearney Catholic's loss dropped their record down to 4-4. As for North Platte, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Kearney Catholic has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27 boards per game. However, it's not like North Platte struggles in that department as they've been averaging 23.8 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Kearney Catholic was able to grind out a solid victory over North Platte in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, winning 64-57. The rematch might be a little tougher for Kearney Catholic since the squad 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
