Preview: Hodgeman County Longhorns vs. Minneola Wildcats
Hodgeman County is 9-1 against Minneola since January of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Hodgeman County Longhorns will be playing in front of their home fans against the Minneola Wildcats at 8:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Hodgeman County waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins but they left with three. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Ingalls 66-27 on the road. Hodgeman County has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 34 points or more this season.
Owen Reece continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 26 points along with six steals and three blocks. That makes it nine consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Hodgeman County's points. Matthew Patterson was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Minneola scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They came out on top against Ashland by a score of 68-60.
Minneola relied on the efforts of Levi Lang, who scored 20 points along with five rebounds and three steals, and Eli Lang, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and ten rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Lang has scored at least a third of Minneola's points. Another player making a difference was Tyson Klotz, who scored ten points.
Hodgeman County is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season. As for Minneola, their win bumped their record up to 4-5.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Hodgeman County have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 33.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Minneola struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 34 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Hodgeman County beat Minneola 44-35 when the teams last played back in January of 2023. Will Hodgeman County repeat their success, or does Minneola have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
