Basketball Game Preview: Commerce Tigers vs. Welch Wildcats

A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Commerce Tigers take on the Welch Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Friday...

Commerce is headed into Friday's match hungry for a win as their strong season has now been derailed by two straight defeats. They were two points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 51-49 heartbreaker at the hands of Afton. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Tigers came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Oklahoma basketball rankings (they are ranked 95th, while the Eagles are ranked 281st).

While Welch didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They put the hurt on Watts with a sharp 49-28 victory on Tuesday. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 21 points or more this season.

Welch pushed their record up to 8-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.4 points per game. As for Commerce, their loss dropped their record down to 7-2.

Everything came up roses for Commerce against Welch in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, as the team secured a 61-21 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Commerce since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.