The Merrill Vandals (Merrill, MI) basketball nipped the visiting Fulton Pirates (Middleton, MI), 40-34 in Wednesday's league test.

The Vandals (9-8) will now prepare for their test against Vestaburg (Vestaburg, MI). The Wolverines go into the Mid-State test with a 7-9 record. In their last test, Vestaburg was tipped by Coleman (Coleman, MI), 28-27, in a league test.

The Pirates now own a 10-6 record. They play next when they travel to St. Charles for a Mid-State test on Friday, February 9. Fulton will encounter a Bulldogs squad coming off a 64-20 league win over Carson City-Crystal (Carson City, MI). The Bulldogs record now stands at 13-1.