Basketball Game Preview: West Union Eagles vs. Houlka Wildcats

The West Union Eagles will head out on the road to square off against the Houlka Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in West Union's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last seven contests.

West Union is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Smithville: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that West Union blew Smithville out of the water with a 71-34 final score. The Eagles have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight games by 21 points or more this season.

Houlka has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They took a 56-45 hit to the loss column at the hands of West Lowndes on Tuesday.

West Union will need focus on slowing down Elijah Foster, one of several Houlka players who made an impact when they last played. He almost dropped a double-double on 17 points and nine boards. Foster is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down eight or more in the last 14 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Tyler Winter, who posted 11 points and six boards.

Even though they lost, Houlka smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in five consecutive contests.

Houlka's defeat was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 14-6. As for West Union, they are on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 17 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 19-5 record this season.

West Union strolled past Houlka in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 by a score of 74-56. The rematch might be a little tougher for West Union since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.