Basketball Game Preview: Auburndale Bloodhounds vs. Lake Wales Highlanders

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Previous Games

01/12/24 - Home	58-57 W
02/08/23 - Home	69-68 W
01/13/23 - Away	56-39 W
01/21/22 - Home	80-68 W
02/12/21 - Neutral	79-55 W
+ 5 more games

Auburndale is 10-0 against Lake Wales since December of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Auburndale Bloodhounds will head out on the road to challenge the Lake Wales Highlanders at 8:00 p.m. Auburndale is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.

Auburndale will head into Tuesday's matchup hoping to keep the good times rolling: they had to skate by with only a two-point margin when they last took the court, which might have inspired the 22-point drubbing they dealt Winter Haven on Tuesday. Auburndale was the clear victor by a 69-47 margin over Winter Haven. The Bloodhounds have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine contests by 20 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Lake Wales played a tough game on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They had to suffer through a 88-54 loss at the hands of Santa Fe Catholic. While losing is never fun, the Highlanders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 383rd, while the Hawks are ranked 76th).

Auburndale will need focus on slowing down Sebastian Perez, one of several Lake Wales players who made an impact when they last played. He posted ten points and five boards. Perez is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last 17 games he's played. Another player making a difference was Samauri Wilson, who scored eight points.

Auburndale's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-5. As for Lake Wales, their loss dropped their record down to 10-12.

Auburndale barely slipped by Lake Wales in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, winning 58-57. The rematch might be a little tougher for Auburndale since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.