Basketball Game Preview: Wyoming East Warriors vs. Mingo Central Miners

The Wyoming East Warriors will venture away from home to square off against the Mingo Central Miners at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

On Wednesday, everything came up roses for Wyoming East against Summers County as the team secured a 61-34 victory. The Warriors have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 21 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Mingo Central waltzed into their contest on Monday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came out on top against the Pirates by a score of 56-47. Given the Miners' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 23rd in West Virginia, while the Pirates are ranked 224th in Kentucky), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Mingo Central had a senior duo take command as Addie Smith went 9 for 19 en route to 25 points and eight assists and DaLaney Grimmett went 7 of 17 on her way to 17 points in addition to eight rebounds and five steals. Smith's evening made it five games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Jayden Bailey was another key player, putting up eight points and three steals.

Mingo Central smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in eight consecutive games.

Wyoming East has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 27.4 points. As for Mingo Central, their win bumped their record up to 7-3.

Wyoming East took their victory against Mingo Central when the teams last played back in December of 2024 by a conclusive 63-38. The rematch might be a little tougher for Wyoming East since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.