Basketball Game Preview: Father Tolton vs. Sikeston Bulldogs

Father Tolton will venture away from home to take on the Sikeston Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

On Monday, Father Tolton was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 65-64 to Hallsville.

Meanwhile, Sikeston waltzed into their contest on Monday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They strolled past the Camels with points to spare, taking the game 84-66. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 12th, while the Camels are ranked 129th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Father Tolton has been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 9-12 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.4 points over those games. Sikeston's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 22-3.

Father Tolton was able to grind out a solid victory over Sikeston when the teams last played back in February of 2024, winning 79-72. The rematch might be a little tougher for Father Tolton since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.