Basketball Game Preview: Joel Barlow Falcons vs. Brookfield Bobcats

Joel Barlow and Brookfield are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2016, but not for long. The Joel Barlow Falcons will look to defend their home court on Friday against the Brookfield Bobcats at 7:00 p.m. Both have had a bumpy ride up to this point with five consecutive losses for Joel Barlow and six for Brookfield.

Last Tuesday, Joel Barlow came up short against Newtown and fell 60-51.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Brookfield faced off against Kolbe-Cathedral on Monday. Brookfield took a hard 58-41 fall against Kolbe-Cathedral. While losing is never fun, the Bobcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Connecticut basketball rankings (they are ranked 60th, while the Cougars are ranked 14th).

Joel Barlow will have to contain Gustavo Almeida as he made an impact in Brookfield's last game. He went 5 of 9 en route to 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of John Lopes, who posted two points along with five boards and three steals.

Even though they lost, Brookfield smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in three consecutive games.

Joel Barlow's loss dropped their record down to 1-5. As for Brookfield, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-7.

Things could have been worse for Joel Barlow, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 59-40 loss to Brookfield in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Will Joel Barlow have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.