Basketball Game Preview: Harleton Wildcats vs. McLeod Longhorns

The Harleton Wildcats will venture away from home to square off against the McLeod Longhorns at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Harleton is coming into the match hot, having won their last three games.

Last Friday, Harleton humbled Ore City with a 54-8 victory. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 743rd, while the Rebels are ranked 1552nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 56-18, which was the final score in McLeod's tilt against Hawkins on Friday. The loss continues a trend for the Longhorns in their matchups with the Hawks: they've now lost nine in a row.

Harleton is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 14 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.6 points per game. As for McLeod, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-16.

Harleton strolled past McLeod in their previous meeting back in December of 2024 by a score of 41-23. The rematch might be a little tougher for Harleton since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.