Basketball Game Preview: McKinney North Bulldogs vs. Melissa Cardinals

The McKinney North Bulldogs will square off against the Melissa Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. McKinney North has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

On Friday, McKinney North opened the new year with a less-than-successful 65-53 loss to Walnut Grove. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 455th, while the Wildcats are ranked 57th).

Meanwhile, Melissa was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 50-44 to Lovejoy. The matchup marked the Cardinals' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

McKinney North dropped their record down to 8-10 with the defeat, which was their sixth straight at home. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.7 points per game. As for Melissa, their loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 10-10.

McKinney North didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Melissa in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 62-58 win. Will McKinney North repeat their success, or does Melissa have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.