Basketball Game Preview: Laurel Spartans vs. Wise Pumas

Laurel hasn't had much luck against Wise recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Laurel Spartans will host the Wise Pumas at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Wise will be up against a hot Laurel team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. Laurel really took it to Northwestern for the full four quarters, racking up a 92-56 victory. The Spartans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 23 points or more this season.

Jermaine Taylor was his usual excellent self, putting up 30 points. The game was his third in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Aiden Lee, who posted 16 points.

Meanwhile, Wise was able to grind out a solid win over St. Mary's Ryken on Saturday, taking the game 75-63. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Pumas.

Wise's win came from a few key players Laurel will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Dion Walker, who almost dropped a double-double on 24 points and nine rebounds. He has been hot recently, having posted 18 or more points the last three times he's played. Cayden Hargrove was another key player, dropping a double-double on 20 points and 14 boards.

Laurel's victory bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Wise, their win bumped their record up to 10-2.

Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Laurel hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 78.9 points per game. However, it's not like Wise struggles in that department as they've been averaging 70.2 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.

Laurel couldn't quite finish off Wise in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 and fell 58-55. Can Laurel avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.