Basketball Game Preview: Valdez Buccaneers vs. Sitka Wolves

The Valdez Buccaneers and the Sitka Wolves will face off at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday without much rest, having both just played. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.

Valdez heads in on the heels of a playoff match on Wednesday. They took a 43-39 hit to the loss column at the hands of Kenai Central. The loss continues a trend for the Buccaneers in their meetings with the Kardinals: they've now lost three in a row.

Meanwhile, Sitka unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Wednesday. They were outmatched by Grace Christian and fell 60-29. While losing is never fun, the Wolves can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Alaska basketball rankings (they are ranked 51st, while the Grizzlies are ranked eighth).

Valdez's defeat dropped their record down to 12-14. As for Sitka, their loss dropped their record down to 15-10.

Valdez strolled past Sitka when the teams last played back in January by a score of 63-48. Will Valdez repeat their success, or does Sitka have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.