Basketball Game Preview: Okolona Chieftains vs. Houlka Wildcats

Okolona and Houlka are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2019, but not for long. The Okolona Chieftains will head out on the road to square off against the Houlka Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Having struggled with four losses in a row, Okolona turned things around against Bruce on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 67-65 victory over the Trojans.

Meanwhile, Houlka waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They put the hurt on the Rams with a sharp 75-51 win. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 21 points or more this season.

Okolona better focus on containing Elijah Foster and Tyler Winter as the pair were huge in Houlka's win. Foster dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 boards, while Winter went 6 of 7 on his way to 15 points along with eight boards and three blocks. Foster is on a roll when it comes to boards, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last ten games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jay Brady, who posted ten points and seven rebounds.

Houlka has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.0 points per game. As for Okolona, their victory bumped their record up to 5-11.

Okolona was able to grind out a solid win over Houlka in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, winning 75-65. The rematch might be a little tougher for Okolona since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.