Verbena and Fayetteville are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2016, but not for long. Having just played yesterday, the Verbena Red Devils will get right back to it and host the Fayetteville Wolves at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Fayetteville took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Verbena, who comes in off a win.
Verbena will bounce into Tuesday's contest after beating Autaugaville, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. Verbena came out on top against Autaugaville by a score of 57-46 on Monday.
It was another big night for Caleb Short, who went 7 of 13 on his way to 21 points along with six boards and four steals. He is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Hayden Wilson, who posted 12 points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Fayetteville was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They fell 62-49 to Victory Christian.
Verbena will need focus on slowing down JB Buttram, one of several Fayetteville players who made an impact when they last played. He went 5 of 9 on his way to 13 points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Landon Thomas, who put up 11 points.
Verbena's victory was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 3-8. As for Fayetteville, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Verbena has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Fayetteville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Verbena came up short against Fayetteville in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 68-64. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Thomas, who almost dropped a double-double on 26 points and nine boards. Now that Verbena knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
