Basketball Game Preview: Lovington Wildcats vs. Artesia Bulldogs

Lovington is 1-9 against Artesia since January of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Lovington Wildcats will host the Artesia Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Lovington has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

It was a proper cat-fight when Lovington faced off against Jal on Thursday. Lovington came out on top against Jal by a score of 73-63. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' New Mexico basketball rankings (they are ranked 34th, while the Panthers are ranked 87th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Lovington's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jojo Perez, who went 8 for 11 on his way to 21 points in addition to five assists and three steals. The dominant performance gave Perez a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kayle Covington, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 14 rebounds.

Artesia has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They took a blow against Hobbs on Friday, falling 88-54.

Artesia's loss dropped their record down to 12-7. As for Lovington, their win bumped their record up to 13-7.

Lovington took a serious blow against Artesia when the teams last played back in March of 2024, falling 71-30. Will Lovington have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.