Basketball Game Preview: Miami-Yoder Buffaloes vs. Cotopaxi Pirates

After both having extra time off, the Miami-Yoder Buffaloes and the Cotopaxi Pirates will dust off their jerseys to square off against one another at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Cotopaxi took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Miami-Yoder, who comes in off a win.

Back in December of 2024, Miami-Yoder beat Kit Carson 47-40. That's two games straight that the Buffaloes have won by exactly seven points.

Miami-Yoder's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jel Wallerstedt led the charge by dropping a double-double on 22 points and 16 rebounds. The dominant performance gave Wallerstedt a new career-high in rebounds. Gavin Howard was another key player, putting up 13 points along with five rebounds and four steals.

Miami-Yoder smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Cotopaxi came up short against Evangel Christian Academy two weeks ago and fell 54-43. The defeat continues a trend for the Pirates in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now lost seven in a row.

Miami-Yoder will need focus on slowing down Kenny Teter, one of several Cotopaxi players who made an impact when they last played. He posted eight points in addition to eight blocks and seven boards. Teter is on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted four or more in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Joel Tezak, who went 5 of 11 on his way to 12 points and five rebounds.

Miami-Yoder's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Cotopaxi, their loss dropped their record down to 2-2.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Miami-Yoder has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 31.8 boards per game. However, it's not like Cotopaxi struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.