Basketball Game Preview: Wapato Wolves vs. Zillah Leopards

Wapato hasn't had much luck against Zillah recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Wapato Wolves just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Zillah Leopards at 5:15 p.m. One thing working in Wapato's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last five contests.

Wapato took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They took down Naches Valley 68-53. Given the Wolves' advantage in MaxPreps' Washington basketball rankings (they are ranked 52nd, while the Rangers are ranked 285th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Zillah). They took their match on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 99-44 win over College Place. The Leopards have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 42 points or more this season.

Wapato pushed their record up to 8-3 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.4 points per game. As for Zillah, their win bumped their record up to 8-3.

Wapato was taken down by Zillah 86-51 in their previous meeting back in January of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Wapato was down 36-16.