Basketball Game Preview: Columbus Wildcats vs. Mediapolis Bulldogs

Columbus is 0-10 against Mediapolis since December of 2016 but things could change on Saturday. The Columbus Wildcats will take on the Mediapolis Bulldogs. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

It was a proper cat-fight when Columbus took on Pekin on Tuesday. Columbus took down Pekin 45-28. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Iowa basketball rankings (they are ranked 117th, while the Panthers are ranked 255th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Mediapolis came tearing into Saturday's game with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 43.9 points) and they left with even more momentum. They strolled past the Panthers with points to spare, taking the game 64-48.

Columbus has also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.8 points per game. As for Mediapolis, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-1.

Columbus took a serious blow against Mediapolis in their previous matchup back in January of 2022, falling 67-23. Can Columbus avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.