Basketball Game Preview: Harding Academy Wildcats vs. Batesville Pioneers

The Harding Academy Wildcats will wrap up 2024 with a road trip to face off against the Batesville Pioneers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Thursday, Harding Academy strolled past Maumelle Charter with points to spare, taking the game 54-38. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Wildcats.

While Batesville didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-21), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They took their matchup on Thursday with ease, bagging a 59-29 win over Salem. The contest marked the Pioneers' most dominant victory of the season so far.

Batesville is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-4 record this season. As for Harding Academy, their win bumped their record up to 3-4.

Harding Academy strolled past Batesville in their previous meeting back in December of 2015 by a score of 53-36. Will Harding Academy repeat their success, or does Batesville have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.