Basketball Game Preview: Malone Tigers vs. Altha Wildcats

Malone has gone 10-0 against Altha recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Malone Tigers take on the Altha Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. Malone knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Altha likes a good challenge.

Malone will head out to face Altha after giving up their first home loss of the season on Monday. Malone took a 74-66 hit to the loss column at the hands of Marianna. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 354th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 102nd).

Jackson Welch

Steals

01/27/25 vs Marianna	2
01/25/25 @ Poplar Springs	3
01/17/25 vs Poplar Springs	3
01/16/25 vs Liberty County	3

Malone might have lost, but man, Jackson Welch was a machine: he posted 28 points and five boards. Welch is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Lonnie Gilbert, who put up eight points.

Meanwhile, Altha made easy work of Tallavana Christian on Monday and carried off a 64-42 win. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matches by 22 points or more this season.

Malone's loss ended a nine-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 14-7. As for Altha, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-7 record this season.

Malone strolled past Altha in their previous meeting back in December of 2024 by a score of 76-62. The rematch might be a little tougher for Malone since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.