Columbus is 0-4 against Lincoln Southwest since February of 2021 but things could change on Saturday. The Columbus Discoverers will head out to face off against the Lincoln Southwest Silver Hawks at 6:45 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Last Saturday, Columbus strolled past South Sioux City with points to spare, taking the game 67-49. The match marked the Discoverers' most dominant victory of the season so far.
Columbus relied on the efforts of Quinn Freshour, who went 7 of 10 on his way to 14 points and four steals, and Gavin Anderson, who made all 7 shots he took to post 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Will Wickham, who posted 11 points and three steals.
Columbus was working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in December of 2023.
Meanwhile, Lincoln Southwest humbled Norfolk with a 79-49 victory. Given the Silver Hawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 32nd, while the Panthers are ranked 166th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lincoln Southwest's win came from a few key players Columbus will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jaxyn Cruse, who went 10 of 17 on his way to 22 points along with six assists and four steals. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Makkiah Sanders, who went 6 of 8 on his way to 16 points and three steals.
The win got Columbus back to even at 3-3. As for Lincoln Southwest, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 4-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Columbus has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.2 boards per game. However, it's not like Lincoln Southwest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Columbus couldn't quite finish off Lincoln Southwest in their previous matchup back in February and fell 68-65. Can Columbus avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
