Basketball Game Preview: Opp Bobcats vs. Straughn Tigers

Opp hasn't had much luck against Straughn recently, but that could start to change on Friday. A feisty cat fight is on tap when the Opp Bobcats take on the Straughn Tigers at 5:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Opp will bounce into Friday's game after beating Pike County, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. Opp took down Pike County 30-16 on Tuesday. The victory was some much needed relief for the Bobcats as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.

Opp's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Dionna Stoudemire, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Taylor Adams, who posted nine points and seven boards.

Opp smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Straughn had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.3 points) and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. They snuck past the Gamecocks with a 37-32 win.

Straughn is also on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a massive bump to their 13-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 27.2 points per game. As for Opp, their victory was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 7-9.

Opp was taken down by Straughn 47-19 in their previous meeting on Thursday. Can Opp avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.