Basketball Game Preview: Wakeland Wolverines vs. Marion Patriots

The Wakeland Wolverines and the Marion Patriots will face off at 12:00 p.m. on Friday without much rest having both just played. Wakeland knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past five contests -- so hopefully Marion likes a good challenge.

Wakeland picked up another tournament win on Thursday. They managed a 60-55 win over Red Oak. Given the Wolverines' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while the Hawks are ranked 159th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Marion, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 62-60 victory over John Paul II on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Patriots have posted since December 22, 2023.

Marion has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.3 points per game. As for Wakeland, their victory bumped their record up to 18-4.