Basketball Game Preview: Hitchcock-Tulare Patriots vs. Wessington Springs Spartans

Hitchcock-Tulare is 1-9 against Wessington Springs since February of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Hitchcock-Tulare Patriots will take on the Wessington Springs Spartans in a tournament on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Hitchcock-Tulare will bounce into Friday's game after beating Warner, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. Hitchcock-Tulare had just enough and edged Warner out 51-48. The victory was some much needed relief for the Patriots as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, Wessington Springs came tearing into Tuesday's contest with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15.3 points) and they left with even more momentum. They strolled past the Titans with points to spare, taking the game 59-40. Given the Spartans' advantage in MaxPreps' South Dakota basketball rankings (they are ranked 42nd, while the Titans are ranked 131st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Wessington Springs pushed their record up to 6-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.3 points per game. As for Hitchcock-Tulare, their victory bumped their record up to 2-5.

Hitchcock-Tulare was taken down by Wessington Springs 77-48 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Can Hitchcock-Tulare avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.