Basketball Game Preview: Eagle River Wolves vs. Bartlett Golden Bears

Eagle River hasn't had much luck against Bartlett recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Wolves will head out to challenge the Golden Bears at 6:00 p.m. Eagle River has given up an average of 49.9 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Eagle River is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Service on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Wolves were dealt a 73-18 loss at the hands of the Cougars. While losing is never fun, the Wolves can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Alaska basketball rankings (they are ranked 58th, while the Cougars are ranked fourth).

Emery Bryan was Eagle River's leading scorer, having posted seven points. Gabby Palazzini held things down on the boards with 11 rebounds.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Bartlett, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They simply couldn't be stopped on Tuesday as they easily beat Bettye Davis East Anchorage 60-14. The Golden Bears have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 41 points or more this season.

Bartlett pushed their record up to 11-4 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 24.0 points on average over those games. As for Eagle River, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-11.

Eagle River took a serious blow against Bartlett in their previous meeting back in January, falling 70-12. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Wolves were down 48-7.