The McCool Junction Mustangs will be playing at home against the Alma Cardinals at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. McCool Junction will be looking to keep their 20-game home win streak (dating back to last season) alive.
McCool Junction had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They enjoyed a cozy 52-36 victory over Deshler on Thursday. Given McCool Junction's advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 45th, while Deshler is ranked 128th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mckenna Yates was her usual excellent self, scoring 24 points along with four steals. That makes it four consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of McCool Junction's points. Briann Stutzman was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Alma's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. Their tough 49-26 defeat to Southern Valley might stick with them for a while. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Alma has scored all season.
Kamryn Scott was Alma's leading scorer, having posted seven points.
Addison Siebels held things down on the boards with six rebounds.
McCool Junction has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 14 of their last 15 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 19-3 record this season. As for Alma, their loss ended a 11-game streak of away wins and brought them to 20-4.
Friday's contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: McCool Junction have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 40.2% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Alma struggles in that department as they've made 40.6% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
