Basketball Game Preview: McFarland Cougars vs. Taft Wildcats

A feisty cat fight is on tap when the McFarland Cougars challenge the Taft Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday... McFarland knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 14 contests -- so hopefully Taft likes a good challenge.

Last Tuesday, McFarland humbled Shafter with a 76-49 victory. The Cougars have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine matches by 26 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Taft's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They fell just short of Kennedy by a score of 54-52. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Wildcats have suffered since November 25, 2024.

McFarland is on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 16 games, which provided a nice bump to their 20-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.0 points per game. As for Taft, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 12-10.

McFarland strolled past Taft in their previous matchup on January 7th by a score of 76-59. Will McFarland repeat their success, or does Taft have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.