Basketball Game Preview: Rains Wildcats vs. Commerce Tigers

A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Rains Wildcats face off against the Commerce Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday... Commerce took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Rains, who comes in off a win.

If Rains beats Commerce with 49 points on Tuesday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. Rains enjoyed a cozy 49-32 win over Winnsboro on Friday. That's two games straight that the Wildcats have won by exactly 17 points.

Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Commerce's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They fell just short of Lone Oak by a score of 52-50. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Tigers came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 242nd, while the Buffaloes are ranked 716th).

Commerce's loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 7-1 and their overall record down to 18-8. As for Rains, they have been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 12 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 19-6 record this season.

Rains opened the new year with a less-than-successful 63-55 defeat to Commerce. Will Rains have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.