Basketball Game Preview: Hanover Central Wildcats vs. Gary West Side Cougars

A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Wildcats face off against the Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Hanover Central is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Highland: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Hanover Central blew Highland out of the water with a 68-38 final score. The Wildcats have beaten the Trojans the last seven times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Trojans has come to flipping the script.

Meanwhile, Gary West Side came tearing into Friday's contest with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 17.1 points) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 61-53 win over the Cougars.

Gary West Side pushed their record up to 13-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.8 points over those games. As for Hanover Central, the win got them back to even at 9-9.

Hanover Central might still be hurting after the 70-50 loss they got from Gary West Side when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Can Hanover Central avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.