Basketball Game Preview: Gilman Pirates vs. Owen-Withee Blackhawks

Gilman is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Owen-Withee is on a eight-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Gilman Pirates will welcome the Owen-Withee Blackhawks at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Both are at an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2019, but likely not for long.

Gilman will head into Tuesday's matchup hoping to keep the good times rolling: they proved they can win big on Thursday (they won by 21) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 63-60 victory over Columbus Catholic. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Pirates have posted against the Dons since January 25, 2019.

Among those leading the charge was Claire Drier, who went 5 for 10 on her way to 14 points in addition to seven boards and five steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed four or more in the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Reece Weir, who posted eight points along with six rebounds and three steals.

Meanwhile, Owen-Withee beat Colby 44-32 on Tuesday. Given the Blackhawks' advantage in MaxPreps' Wisconsin basketball rankings (they are ranked 55th, while the Hornets are ranked 365th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Gilman has also been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.8 points per game. As for Owen-Withee, their victory bumped their record up to 11-1.

Gilman took a serious blow against Owen-Withee in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 60-21. Will Gilman have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.