Basketball Game Preview: East Fairmont Bees vs. Elkins Tigers

East Fairmont is 8-2 against Elkins since January of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The East Fairmont Bees will look to defend their home court against the Elkins Tigers at 7:00 p.m. East Fairmont will be looking to extend their current ten-game winning streak.

East Fairmont is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They claimed a resounding 97-13 victory over Brooke. The Bees have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 13 contests by 20 points or more this season.

Kailee Haymond

Steals

02/28/25 vs Brooke	4
02/21/25 @ Lincoln	5
02/19/25 @ Liberty	7
02/14/25 @ Jefferson	3
02/07/25 vs Chapmanville Regional	7
02/03/25 vs Fairmont Senior	4

East Fairmont got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Kailee Haymond out in front who made all 8 shots she took racking up 21 points and four steals. Haymond has been hot, having posted three or more steals the last six times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kasey Rogers, who made all 6 shots she took for 17 points and seven steals.

East Fairmont smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in seven consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Elkins). They took down Fairmont Senior 66-52 on Friday. The victory continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Polar Bears: they've now won three in a row.

East Fairmont better keep an eye on Maddie Belan. She was instrumental in Elkins' win, dropping a double-double with 33 points and 11 boards. That makes it seven consecutive games in which Belan has scored at least a third of Elkins' points. Madi Zirkle was another key player, putting up 13 points and seven rebounds.

East Fairmont pushed their record up to 19-4 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 42.8 points. As for Elkins, their victory bumped their record up to 13-10.

East Fairmont was able to grind out a solid win over Elkins in their previous meeting back in January, winning 52-42. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Belan, who dropped a double-double with 29 points and 14 boards. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will East Fairmont still be able to contain Belan? There's only one way to find out.