Basketball Game Preview: Harding Academy Wildcats vs. Sylvan Hills Bears

The Harding Academy Wildcats will take on the Sylvan Hills Bears in a tournament on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Harding Academy has seven straight wins, Sylvan Hills has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Thursday, Harding Academy took their match with ease, bagging a 62-28 victory over Maumelle Charter. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 34 points or more this season.

It was another big night for Claire Citty, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and 12 boards. That makes it four consecutive games in which she has scored at least a third of Harding Academy's points. Another player making a difference was Emery Wilson, who posted 11 points in addition to eight steals and five rebounds.

Harding Academy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in seven consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Sylvan Hills took a blow against Vilonia on Friday, falling 76-29. The matchup marked the Bears' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Sylvan Hills' loss dropped their record down to 3-6. As for Harding Academy, they pushed their record up to 7-0 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season.