Basketball Game Preview: Philip Barbour Colts vs. Fairmont Senior Polar Bears

The Philip Barbour Colts will challenge the Fairmont Senior Polar Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Philip Barbour has four straight wins, Fairmont Senior has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Monday, Philip Barbour didn't have too much trouble with Moorefield as they won 54-35.

Philip Barbour found their leader in sophomore Izzy Knotts, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 11 boards. Knotts has been hot, having also posted three or more steals the last six times she's played. Another player making a difference was Taitem Jeffries, who went 5 of 11 en route to 12 points along with seven steals and three blocks.

Meanwhile, Fairmont Senior took a blow against East Fairmont on Monday, falling 68-41. While losing is never fun, the Polar Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' West Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 80th, while the Bees are ranked 14th).

Philip Barbour is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 7-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.4 points per game. As for Fairmont Senior, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-11.

Everything came up roses for Philip Barbour against Fairmont Senior in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, as the team secured an 88-30 victory. Will Philip Barbour repeat their success, or does Fairmont Senior have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.