Basketball Game Preview: Middlesboro Yellowjackets vs. Bell County Bobcats

Middlesboro hasn't had much luck against Bell County recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Middlesboro Yellowjackets will head out to take on the Bell County Bobcats at 7:30 p.m.

Middlesboro is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 68 points on Monday, they were much more limited against Clay County on Tuesday. They took a blow against the Tigers, falling 71-16. While losing is never fun, the Yellowjackets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kentucky basketball rankings (they are ranked 224th, while the Tigers are ranked 45th).

Meanwhile, Bell County waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They took down the Black Bears 79-65.

Bell County has also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 13 of their last 14 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 17-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.9 points per game. As for Middlesboro, their loss dropped their record down to 4-7.

Middlesboro took a serious blow against Bell County in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 89-38. Can Middlesboro avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.