Basketball Game Preview: Mt. Olive Wildcats vs. Staunton Bulldogs

Mt. Olive is 1-9 against Staunton since December of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Mt. Olive Wildcats will take on the Staunton Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

Last Tuesday, Mt. Olive was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 64-60 to Lebanon. The Wildcats have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Despite the defeat, Mt. Olive had strong showings from Matthew Bywater, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and ten boards, and David Schoen, who went 7 for 13 en route to 17 points and seven blocks. Bywater is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last five games he's played. Briley Viviano was another key player, putting up nine points and five assists.

Even though they lost, Mt. Olive was working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since the start of last season.

Meanwhile, Staunton came up short against Civic Memorial on Tuesday and fell 48-39.

Mt. Olive's loss dropped their record down to 4-11. As for Staunton, their defeat ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 13-4.

Mt. Olive took a serious blow against Staunton in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 76-17. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Mt. Olive was down 44-10.