Basketball Game Preview: Steele Comets vs. Keystone Wildcats

The Steele Comets will wrap up 2024 with a road trip to face off against the Keystone Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Steele took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They walked away with an 81-71 win over Avon Lake. The Comets' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Meanwhile, Keystone put another one in the bag on Saturday to keep their perfect season alive. They came out on top against Norwalk by a score of 62-51. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 107th, while the Truckers are ranked 333rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Keystone's win came from a few key players Steele will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Zach Shackelfod, who went 9 of 20 on his way to 19 points along with six boards and five assists. He has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last six times he's played. Colt Cowling was another key player, going 7 for 14 on his way to 18 points in addition to six rebounds and four steals.

Keystone pushed their record up to 9-0 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Steele, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season.

Steele beat Keystone 83-75 in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Keystone's Liam Goran, who went 13 of 18 on his way to 32 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Steele still be able to contain Goran? There's only one way to find out.