Hastings is 0-3 against the Antlers since February of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. Having just played yesterday, the Hastings Tigers will get right back to it and host the Elkhorn Antlers at 4:15 p.m. on February 3rd. Hastings will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Nebraska Rankings (they are ranked 135th, while the Antlers are ranked seventh).
On Friday, Hastings was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 58-53 to the Bulldogs. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Hastings in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now lost four in a row.
Meanwhile, Elkhorn didn't have too much trouble with the Falcons at home on Saturday as they won 60-41. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Elkhorn.
Elkhorn's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Cole Petersen led the charge by scoring 11 points along with six rebounds and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Howard, who scored 13 points along with two steals.
Hastings has traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-11 record this season. As for Elkhorn, they pushed their record up to 12-2 with that victory, which was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season.
Hastings might still be hurting after the 65-45 loss they got from the Antlers in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Thankfully for Hastings, Ethan Yungtum (who scored 19 points along with six rebounds and three steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
