Basketball Game Preview: McConnellsburg Spartans vs. North Star Cougars

The McConnellsburg Spartans and the North Star Cougars will face off at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday without much rest, having both just played. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

North Star will be up against a hot McConnellsburg team: the squad just extended their winning streak to 20. McConnellsburg simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Claysburg-Kimmel 77-36. Given the Spartans' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 140th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 523rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

McConnellsburg's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Brayden Ramsey, who went 8-for-17 en route to 23 points and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Dominic Jefferson, who went 7-for-15 to rack up 16 points along with eight boards and six assists.

McConnellsburg smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive rebounds in four consecutive games.

Meanwhile, North Star was fully in charge on Friday, breezing past West Branch 72-44. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cougars.

North Star's victory bumped their record up to 18-5. As for McConnellsburg, their win bumped their record up to 21-1.

McConnellsburg didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against North Star in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, but they still walked away with a 45-40 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was North Star's Andy Retassie, who went 8-for-15 on his way to 20 points and seven rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will McConnellsburg still be able to contain Retassie? There's only one way to find out.