Basketball Game Preview: Vandegrift Vipers vs. McNeil Mavericks

The Vandegrift Vipers will challenge the McNeil Mavericks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. McNeil took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Vandegrift, who comes in off a win.

Having struggled with three defeats in a row, Vandegrift turned things around against Vista Ridge on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged the Rangers out 32-30. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Vipers have posted against the Rangers since December 18, 2020.

Meanwhile, McNeil was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They were outmatched by Stony Point and fell 94-48. While losing is never fun, the Mavericks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 858th, while the Tigers are ranked 19th).

McNeil's defeat dropped their record down to 5-23. As for Vandegrift, their win bumped their record up to 19-9.

Vandegrift was able to grind out a solid victory over McNeil in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, winning 57-47. Will Vandegrift repeat their success, or does McNeil have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.