Basketball Game Preview: New Hanover Wildcats vs. Hoggard Vikings

New Hanover is 0-10 against Hoggard since February of 2021 but things could change on Saturday. Having just played yesterday, the New Hanover Wildcats will jump right back in to play the Hoggard Vikings at 5:00 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

On Friday, New Hanover earned a 46-37 victory over Topsail. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Wildcats.

Meanwhile, Hoggard waltzed into their game on Friday with 15 straight wins... but they left with 16. They walked away with a 40-27 win over the Buccaneers. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 14th, while the Buccaneers are ranked 118th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

New Hanover's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-7. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.3 points over those games. As for Hoggard, their win bumped their record up to 25-1.

New Hanover was taken down by Hoggard 67-26 in their previous matchup last Thursday. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point New Hanover was down 38-15.