Basketball Game Preview: Lake Wales Highlanders vs. Auburndale Bloodhounds

Lake Wales is 0-10 against Auburndale since November of 2017 but things could change on Friday. The Lake Wales Highlanders will take on the Auburndale Bloodhounds. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Lake Wales is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They skirted past Sebring 41-39. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Highlanders have posted since December 5, 2024.

Meanwhile, after only 28 points in their last matchup, Auburndale made sure to put some points up on the board against Kathleen on Wednesday. Auburndale came out on top against Kathleen by a score of 63-51. Given the Bloodhounds' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 124th, while the Red Devils are ranked 605th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Auburndale has also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 20-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.6 points per game. As for Lake Wales, the win snapped their losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 11-14 record.

Lake Wales came up short against Auburndale when the teams last played on Thursday, falling 62-58. Can Lake Wales avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.