The Neligh-Oakdale Warriors will head out on the road to face off against the St. Mary's Cardinals on Tuesday. Neligh-Oakdale, yet to win a game, are hoping to taste some of the success that has characterized St. Mary's (thus far) undefeated season.
Last Friday, Neligh-Oakdale was the victim of a tough 58-37 defeat at the hands of Creighton. Neligh-Oakdale has not had much luck with Creighton recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was jayce gadeken, who scored 14 points along with 5 rebounds. She scored a full 37.8% of Neligh-Oakdale's points, the second time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Hailey Horstmann was another key contributor, scoring 9 points along with 7 rebounds.
St. Mary's has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matches by 42 points or more this season. They breezed by Gregory on the road to the tune of 67-25. With St. Mary's ahead 43-16 at the half, the game was all but over already.
St. Mary's can attribute much of their success to Alissa Brabec, who went 6 for 13 from beyond the arc en route to 26 points and 1 assists, and Mya Hedstrom, who scored 22 points along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. The match was Brabec's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Lorissa Reiman, who scored 9 points along with 7 rebounds.
Elgin/Pope John's victory bumped their season record to 0-0 while Neligh-Oakdale's defeat dropped theirs to 0-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Neligh-Oakdale have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 21.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like St. Mary's struggles in that department as they've been even better at 34.8 per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
Neligh-Oakdale was dealt a bruising 65-19 defeat at the hands of St. Mary's when the teams last played back in December of 2022. Can Neligh-Oakdale avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
