Basketball Game Preview: Fayetteville Wolves vs. Verbena Red Devils

Fayetteville and Verbena are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2016, but not for long. The Fayetteville Wolves will venture away from home to take on the Verbena Red Devils at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Fayetteville is coming into the matchup on a six-game losing streak.

Last Thursday, Fayetteville came up short against Victory Christian and fell 62-49.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was JB Buttram, who went 5 of 9 on his way to 13 points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Landon Thomas, who posted 11 points.

Meanwhile, Verbena hadn't done well against Autaugaville recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. Verbena came out on top against Autaugaville by a score of 57-46.

Fayetteville better keep an eye on Caleb Short. He was instrumental in Verbena's win, going 7 of 13 on his way to 21 points in addition to six boards and four steals. Short is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last nine games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Hayden Wilson, who put up 12 points and six rebounds.

Fayetteville's defeat dropped their record down to 2-8. As for Verbena, their win was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 3-8.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Fayetteville has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 26 boards per game. However, it's not like Verbena struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.3 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Fayetteville didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Verbena in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, but they still walked away with a 68-64 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Fayetteville since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.