Basketball Game Preview: Ocosta Wildcats vs. North Beach Hyaks

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Previous Games

01/31/24 - Away	51-49 W
01/16/24 - Away	40-59 L
12/08/23 - Home	47-46 W
01/20/23 - Home	69-18 W
12/12/22 - Away	59-37 W
+ 5 more games

Ocosta has gone 8-2 against North Beach recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Ocosta Wildcats will welcome the North Beach Hyaks at 7:00 p.m. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Ocosta is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Willapa Valley just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Tuesday. They came up short against the Vikings, falling 50-29. The game marked the Wildcats' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Meanwhile, North Beach was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They were dealt a 67-38 defeat at the hands of Forks. While losing is never fun, the Hyaks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Washington basketball rankings (they are ranked 350th, while the Spartans are ranked 106th).

Ocosta will have to keep a close watch on JJ Eastman and Parker Johnson, a pair of players who had a big impact on North Beach's prior game. Eastman dropped a double-double on 15 points and ten rebounds, while Johnson posted eight points. Eastman is also on a roll when it comes to blocks, as he's now posted two or more in the last six games he's played.

Ocosta's loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 8-4. As for North Beach, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-10.

Ocosta came out on top in a nail-biter against North Beach in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, sneaking past 51-49. Does Ocosta have another victory up their sleeve, or will North Beach turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.