Basketball Game Preview: Brookfield Bobcats vs. Joel Barlow Falcons

Brookfield and Joel Barlow are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2016, but not for long. The Brookfield Bobcats will venture away from home to face off against the Joel Barlow Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with six consecutive losses for Brookfield and five for Joel Barlow.

It was a proper cat-fight when Brookfield faced off against Kolbe-Cathedral on Monday. Brookfield lost to Kolbe-Cathedral at home by a 58-41 margin. While losing is never fun, the Bobcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Connecticut basketball rankings (they are ranked 60th, while the Cougars are ranked 14th).

The losing side was boosted by Gustavo Almeida, who went 5 of 9 en route to 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of John Lopes, who posted two points along with five boards and three steals.

Even though they lost, Brookfield smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in three consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Joel Barlow came up short against Newtown on Tuesday and fell 60-51.

Brookfield's defeat dropped their record down to 1-7. As for Joel Barlow, their loss dropped their record down to 1-5.

Brookfield strolled past Joel Barlow in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 by a score of 59-40. The rematch might be a little tougher for Brookfield since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.