Basketball Game Preview: Copper Basin Cougars vs. Polk County Wildcats

Copper Basin hasn't had much luck against Polk County recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. A feisty cat fight will be fought when the Cougars take on the Wildcats at 6:00 p.m.

Copper Basin is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Copper Basin was beaten by Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts 78-34. The Cougars were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 50-22.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Polk County, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They walked away with a 64-56 victory over Sweetwater on Tuesday.

Polk County found their leader in freshman Benjamin Webb, who posted 21 points in addition to six steals and five assists. Polk County is 6-1 when Webb posts three or more steals, but 6-9 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Zanten Branham, who scored 20 points.

Copper Basin's loss dropped their record down to 6-19. As for Polk County, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 12-10 record this season.

Copper Basin was taken down by Polk County 85-34 in their previous matchup back in December of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Polk County's Zaden Branham, who went 6 of 10 from beyond the arc to rack up 24 points and five boards. Now that Copper Basin knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.