The Buffalo Bison will head out on the road to square off against the Wirt County Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Buffalo is no doubt hoping to put an end to a four-game streak of away losses.
Last Tuesday, Buffalo came up short against Point Pleasant and fell 59-48. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Buffalo came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' West Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 71st, while Point Pleasant is ranked 572nd).
Buffalo's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Jackson Mallett, who scored 13 points along with seven rebounds, and Asher Flanery who scored 19 points along with six rebounds. Flanery has been hot recently, having posted 17 or more points the last three times he's played. Nicholoas Pitchford was another key contributor, scoring eight points.
Meanwhile, Wirt County was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. The matchup between them and Braxton County wasn't particularly close, with Wirt County falling 76-60. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Despite the defeat, Wirt County had strong showings from Braylan Dawson, who scored 22 points along with five rebounds, and Connor Hoover, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds. Hoover has been hot recently, having posted 16 or more points the last four times he's played. Another player making a difference was Caleb Axley, who scored five points.
Buffalo's record now sits at 9-12. As for Wirt County, they now have a losing record at 10-11.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Buffalo have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 25 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Wirt County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Buffalo strolled past Wirt County in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 by a score of 69-52. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Dawson, who scored 22 points along with three steals. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Buffalo still be able to contain Dawson? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
