Basketball Game Preview: Ogden Tigers vs. Tooele Buffaloes

Ogden and Tooele are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2017, but not for long. The Ogden Tigers are taking a road trip to square off against the Tooele Buffaloes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

Last Tuesday, Ogden was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 55-51 to Stansbury. The Tigers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, Tooele's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They came up short against Mountain View, falling 72-46.

Ogden will have to keep a close watch on Macie Gustin and Kennedy Searle, a pair of players who had a big impact on Tooele's prior game. Gustin went 7 for 12 on her way to 18 points and six steals, while Searle posted 11 points in addition to six boards and five steals. Gustin is becoming a predictor of Tooele's success: when she posts at least three steals the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when she doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Aiyana Tso, who had five points.

Tooele's defeat dropped their record down to 5-2. As for Ogden, their loss dropped their record down to 5-3.

Everything came up roses for Ogden against Tooele in their previous matchup back in November of 2022, as the team secured a 63-19 win. In that game, Ogden amassed a halftime lead of 36-9, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.