Basketball Game Preview: Newport Wildcats vs. Conner Cougars

Having just played yesterday, the Newport Wildcats will head out on the road to face off against the Conner Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Newport will be strutting in after a victory while Conner will be coming in after a defeat.

Newport took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They skirted past Dixie Heights 43-40. The win continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Colonels: they've now won three in a row.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Newport to victory, but perhaps none more so than Yamil Rondon, who went 5 of 12 on his way to 13 points and eight assists. The team also got some help courtesy of James Turner, who posted eight points along with nine rebounds and five blocks.

Meanwhile, Conner was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They fell 75-65 to South Dearborn. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Cougars came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 47th in Kentucky, while the Knights are ranked 136th in Indiana).

Conner's defeat dropped their record down to 15-7. As for Newport, their victory bumped their record up to 15-9.

Newport took their win against Conner when the teams last played back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 71-50. In that game, Newport amassed a halftime lead of 43-19, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Wednesday.