Basketball Game Preview: BASIS Flagstaff Yetis vs. Joseph City Wildcats

BASIS Flagstaff is 2-8 against Joseph City since February of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The BASIS Flagstaff Yetis will host the Joseph City Wildcats at 5:30 p.m. BASIS Flagstaff has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Having struggled with four losses in a row, BASIS Flagstaff turned things around against Shonto Prep on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Grizzlies 60-30. The Yetis have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matchups by 23 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Joseph City earned a 72-62 win over Mogollon on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Wildcats.

BASIS Flagstaff better focus on containing Cort Miller and Eli James as the pair were huge in Joseph City's win. Miller went 6 of 15 en route to 19 points in addition to seven steals and six boards, while James went 6 for 13 on his way to 18 points along with five rebounds and four steals. James is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 13 games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaimen Tsosie, who posted 13 points and five boards.

Joseph City smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in nine consecutive games.

Joseph City has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 12 of their last 13 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.1 points per game. As for BASIS Flagstaff, their victory bumped their record up to 10-5.

BASIS Flagstaff and Joseph City were neck-and-neck in their previous matchup back in January of 2022, but BASIS Flagstaff came up empty-handed after a 50-49 defeat. Will BASIS Flagstaff have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.