Basketball Game Preview: Deerfield Spartans vs. Elkhart Wildcats

Deerfield hasn't had much luck against Elkhart recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Deerfield Spartans will venture away from home to square off against the Elkhart Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. Deerfield is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.5 points per game this season.

Deerfield will bounce into Tuesday's game after beating Satanta, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. Deerfield came out on top against Satanta by a score of 78-68 on Friday. The Spartans' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Deerfield's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Michael Lira, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 15 boards, and Adriel Clymer, who went 9 of 16 on his way to 21 points and five rebounds. That's the most points Lira has posted since back in January of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Cristian Botello, who posted eight points along with eight assists and five boards.

Deerfield smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in eight consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Elkhart entered their match against Sublette on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The game between Elkhart and Sublette didn't end well, with Elkhart falling 69-50.

Deerfield is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. As for Elkhart, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 4-4.

Deerfield couldn't quite finish off Elkhart in their previous matchup back in January of 2024 and fell 51-48. Can Deerfield avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.