Basketball Game Preview: A.J. Ellender Patriots vs. Thibodaux Tigers

A.J. Ellender is 2-8 against Thibodaux since November of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The A.J. Ellender Patriots just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Thibodaux Tigers at 3:30 p.m. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

A.J. Ellender is headed into Saturday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Friday. They were beaten by Zachary 76-42. While losing is never fun, the Patriots can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Louisiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 141st, while the Broncos are ranked second).

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Thibodaux took on Lafayette on Thursday. Thibodaux might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting Lafayette an easy 57-35 victory. The game marked the Tigers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

A.J. Ellender's loss dropped their record down to 6-6. As for Thibodaux, they dropped their record down to 4-6 with the defeat, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season.

A.J. Ellender barely slipped by Thibodaux when the teams last played back in November of 2023, winning 53-52. Does A.J. Ellender have another victory up their sleeve, or will Thibodaux turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.