Basketball Game Preview: Hi-Plains Patriots vs. Genoa-Hugo/Karval Pirates

Having just played yesterday, the Hi-Plains Patriots will head out on the road to face off against the Genoa-Hugo/Karval Pirates at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both have had a bumpy ride up to this point with seven consecutive losses dating back to last season for Hi-Plains and six for Genoa-Hugo/Karval dating back to last season.

It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 63-29, which was the final score in Hi-Plains' tilt against Stratton on Friday.

Meanwhile, Genoa-Hugo/Karval scored the most points they've had this season on Thursday, but it wasn't enough. They fell just short of Flagler by a score of 48-46. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Pirates have suffered since December 7, 2023.

Defeat or not, Genoa-Hugo/Karval got some senior leadership from Eddy Franey and Tehgan Seymour. Franey dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten boards, while Seymour went 6 of 10 on his way to 18 points. That's the most points Franey has posted since back in January. The team also got some help courtesy of Brady Simmons, who posted six points.

Genoa-Hugo/Karval's loss dropped their record down to 0-5. As for Hi-Plains, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-6.

Hi-Plains came up short against Genoa-Hugo/Karval when the teams last played back in December of 2023, falling 42-33. Thankfully for Hi-Plains, Trey Smith (who went 10 of 19 on his way to 26 points) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.