West hasn't had much luck against Southeast recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The West Pioneers and the Southeast Golden Buffalo will meet in a classic East v. West matchup at 7:00 p.m. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
West is headed into Tuesday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game on Tuesday. The contest between them and East didn't end well, with West falling 65-49.
West's defeat came about despite a quality game from Trale Wilson, who went 5 for 8 en route to 15 points. Wilson is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for four straight games. Treg Hardeman was another key player, putting up 13 points and five boards.
Meanwhile, Southeast suffered their biggest loss since December 15, 2023 on Tuesday. They were beaten by Kapaun Mt. Carmel 82-48. The defeat continues a trend for the Golden Buffalo in their matchups with the Crusaders: they've now lost nine in a row.
West will need focus on slowing down Parker Hardgrave, one of several Southeast players who made an impact when they last played. He dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. Hardgrave has been hot, having posted ten or more boards the last seven times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Collin Laws, who posted eight points.
West's loss dropped their record down to 3-10. As for Southeast, they now have a losing record at 6-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: West has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Southeast struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
West took a serious blow against Southeast in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 67-38. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Hardgrave, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds. Now that West knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
