The Needville Bluejays will take on the Wharton Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with four consecutive losses for Needville and three for Wharton.
Needville is headed into the match out to prove that what happened against George Ranch on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Needville lost 71-48 to George Ranch. The Bluejays were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 42-19.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Bohdan Zeitz, who went 6 of 15 on his way to 17 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaydon Ortiz, who posted 12 points and five assists.
Meanwhile, Wharton came up short against West Oso on Saturday and fell 61-53.
Needville will have to keep a close watch on Jacoryan Dickerson and Jameir Hearne-Robinson, a pair of players who had a big impact on Wharton's prior game. Dickerson dropped a double-double on 21 points and 11 boards, while Hearne-Robinson dropped a double-double on 12 points and 13 boards. What's more, Dickerson also racked up four steals, the most he's had since back in November of 2024.
Even though they lost, Wharton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 29 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.
Wharton's defeat dropped their record down to 15-8. As for Needville, their loss dropped their record down to 5-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Needville has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 24.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Wharton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 40.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Needville was able to grind out a solid victory over Wharton in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, winning 51-44. Does Needville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Wharton turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
