Basketball Game Preview: Burncoat Patriots vs. Doherty Memorial Highlanders

Burncoat hasn't had much luck against Doherty Memorial recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Burncoat Patriots will head out to face off against the Doherty Memorial Highlanders at 6:30 p.m. Burncoat knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past seven matchups -- so hopefully Doherty Memorial likes a good challenge.

Burncoat will bounce into Friday's contest after beating South, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Burncoat took down South 59-40 on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Doherty Memorial entered their tilt with North on Wednesday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They enjoyed a cozy 72-55 victory over the Polar Bears. Given the Highlanders' advantage in MaxPreps' Massachusetts basketball rankings (they are ranked 22nd, while the Polar Bears are ranked 250th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Burncoat pushed their record up to 8-3 with the win, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.1 points per game. As for Doherty Memorial, their victory bumped their record up to 10-2.

Burncoat didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Doherty Memorial in their previous matchup on January 7th, but they still walked away with a 64-60 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Burncoat since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.