Basketball Game Preview: Buffalo Bison vs. Clay County Panthers

The Buffalo Bison are taking a road trip to challenge the Clay County Panthers at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Buffalo easily dispatched Roane County last Saturday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. Buffalo fell just short of Tygarts Valley by a score of 47-44 on Monday. The Bison's loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.

Despite their defeat, Buffalo saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Alivia Luikart, who posted 17 points in addition to five boards and three steals, was perhaps the best of all. Luikart is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooke Woods, who put up 12 points along with eight boards and four steals.

Even though they lost, Buffalo smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Clay County was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their 13th straight loss dating back to last season. They had to suffer through a 57-22 loss at the hands of Tucker County. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' West Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 96th, while the Mountain Lions are ranked 19th).

Buffalo's defeat dropped their record down to 5-2. As for Clay County, their loss dropped their record down to 0-5.

Everything came up roses for Buffalo against Clay County when the teams last played on December 3rd, as the team secured a 59-21 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Buffalo since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.