Basketball Game Preview: Wewoka Tigers vs. Stratford Bulldogs

The Wewoka Tigers will face off against the Stratford Bulldogs at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses apiece.

It was a proper cat-fight when Wewoka faced off against Latta on Saturday. Wewoka fell just short of Latta by a score of 52-49. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Tigers have suffered since February 16, 2024.

Meanwhile, Stratford came up short against Preston on Friday and fell 60-47. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Oklahoma basketball rankings (they are ranked 296th, while the Pirates are ranked 27th).

Wewoka will need to focus on slowing down Oliver Smithwick, one of several Stratford players who made an impact when they last played. He went 6-for-13 to rack up 14 points and seven boards. What's more, Smithwick also posted a 67% three-point shooting accuracy, which is the highest he's achieved since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Karsen Nail, who posted seven points and eight rebounds.

Wewoka's defeat dropped their record down to 7-16. As for Stratford, their loss dropped their record down to 9-13.

Wewoka came up short against Stratford in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 59-53. Can Wewoka avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.