Basketball Game Preview: Wendell Trojans vs. Malad Dragons

The Wendell Trojans will challenge the Malad Dragons at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Wendell has five straight victories, Malad has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

If Wendell beats Malad with 67 points on Thursday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. Wendell pulled ahead with a 67-66 photo finish over The Ambrose School on Tuesday.

Jonathan Swainston

Steals

01/28/25 @ The Ambrose School	5
01/24/25 vs Aberdeen	1
01/23/25 @ Melba	0
01/20/25 @ Kimberly	2

It was another big night for Jonathan Swainston, who went 6 for 11 from beyond the arc on his way to 32 points along with five assists and five steals. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 2.1 steals per game. Jett Jasper was another key player, going 6 of 8 en route to 17 points.

Meanwhile, Malad lost to Declo at home by a 49-34 margin on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Dragons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Idaho basketball rankings (they are ranked 96th, while the Hornets are ranked 11th).

Wendell pushed their record up to 10-4 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.5 points per game. As for Malad, their loss dropped their record down to 5-11.