Basketball Game Preview: Buffalo Island Central Mustangs vs. Melbourne Bearkatz

Buffalo Island Central is 0-4 against Melbourne since November of 2018 but things could change on Friday. The Buffalo Island Central Mustangs will challenge the Melbourne Bearkatz at 6:00 p.m. Melbourne took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Buffalo Island Central, who comes in off a win.

Last Thursday, Buffalo Island Central didn't have too much trouble with Bay as they won 63-47. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' Arkansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 106th, while the Yellowjackets are ranked 225th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Melbourne has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They were three points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 65-62 heartbreaker at the hands of Bergman. That's two games in a row now that the Bearkatz have lost by exactly three points.

Buffalo Island Central pushed their record up to 17-12 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.4 points over those games. As for Melbourne, their defeat dropped their record down to 19-7.

Buffalo Island Central was taken down by Melbourne 59-19 when the teams last played back in January of 2020. Can Buffalo Island Central avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.