Basketball Game Preview: Whitko Wildcats vs. Maconaquah Braves

The Whitko Wildcats will face off against the Maconaquah Braves at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday. Whitko has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Last Saturday, Whitko came up short against Covenant Christian and fell 63-52. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Indiana basketball rankings (they are ranked 368th, while the Warriors are ranked 172nd).

Meanwhile, it may have taken double overtime to finish the job, but Maconaquah ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They came out on top against Peru by a score of 71-63. The win was nothing new for the Braves as they're now sitting on three straight.

Maconaquah's win came from a few key players Whitko will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was AJ Kelly, who went 6 for 15 on his way to 18 points in addition to seven assists and six steals. The contest was his eighth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Josiah Ball, who almost dropped a double-double on 24 points and nine boards.

Maconaquah smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Peru only pulled down 11 offensive boards.

Maconaquah's victory was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 24.2 points. As for Whitko, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-6.

Whitko came up short against Maconaquah in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 60-55. Can Whitko avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.