Basketball Game Preview: Westland Cougars vs. Hayes Pacers

The Westland Cougars will head out to take on the Hayes Pacers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

It was a proper cat-fight when Westland duked it out with Westerville South on Friday. Westland was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 73-72 to Westerville South. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Tuesday (56), the Cougars still had to take the loss.

Breaker Heller Jr.

Points (Career)

02/07/25 @ Westerville South	28
12/21/24 vs Spring Valley	25
01/10/25 @ Westerville South	23
12/17/24 vs Dublin Scioto	21
12/12/23 @ Olentangy	20

Despite their loss, Westland saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Breaker Heller Jr., who dropped a double-double with 28 points and ten boards, was perhaps the best of all. The dominant performance gave Heller Jr. a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Phoenix Funderburke, who went 7 for 16 to rack up 17 points along with six rebounds and five steals.

Even though they lost, Westland was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Hayes waltzed into their contest on Saturday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They breezed past the Bears to the tune of 64-28. The Pacers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 21 points or more this season.

Hayes pushed their record up to 16-4 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. As for Westland, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which has put a noticeable dent in their 6-14 record this season.

Westland suffered a grim 85-64 defeat to Hayes in their previous matchup back in January. Can Westland avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.