The Karnes City Badgers will face off against the Great Hearts Northern Oaks Griffins at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Great Hearts Northern Oaks is hoping to do what Bloomington couldn't on Friday: put an end to Karnes City's winning streak, which now stands at five games. Karnes City blew past Bloomington 66-45.
| 12/27/24 vs Bloomington | 14 |
| 12/26/24 vs Yoakum | 11 |
| 12/26/24 vs Prairie Lea | 11 |
| 12/20/24 @ Robstown | 17 |
| 12/17/24 vs Mathis | 20 |
Karnes City's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Savion Nixon-Thompson led the charge by dropping a double-double on ten points and 14 rebounds. Nixon-Thompson is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last 13 games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Andrew Crow, who went 8 of 15 on his way to 19 points and four steals.
Karnes City smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 20 consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Great Hearts Northern Oaks came into Saturday's game having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They breezed by Vanguard Academy Beethoven to the tune of 76-39 on Saturday. Given the Griffins' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 587th, while Vanguard Academy Beethoven are ranked 1180th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Karnes City better keep an eye on Cardon Paulos. He was instrumental in Great Hearts Northern Oaks' win, going 8 of 18 on his way to 19 points and five assists. The dominant performance gave Paulos a new career-high in assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Glowe, who went 5 of 10 on his way to 12 points along with five boards and three steals.
Karnes City is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-8 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.3 points per game. As for Great Hearts Northern Oaks, their win bumped their record up to 10-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Karnes City has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 38.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Great Hearts Northern Oaks struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Karnes City strolled past Great Hearts Northern Oaks in their previous matchup back in December of 2022 by a score of 62-43. Does Karnes City have another victory up their sleeve, or will Great Hearts Northern Oaks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
