Basketball Game Preview: Forest Wildcats vs. West Port Wolf Pack

Forest is 0-10 against West Port since January of 2017 but things could change on Friday. The Forest Wildcats will challenge the West Port Wolf Pack at 5:30 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

It was a proper cat-fight when Forest took on Dunnellon on Wednesday. Forest came out on top against Dunnellon by a score of 42-35. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 97th, while the Tigers are ranked 291st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Forest's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Janaina Wess, who posted eight points in addition to seven boards and five steals. Wess has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 25 times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ja'Niyah McCoy, who put up ten points.

Meanwhile, West Port came into Wednesday's matchup having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They took their game on Wednesday with ease, bagging a 58-13 victory over North Marion. The Wolf Pack have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 20 points or more this season.

West Port's win came from a few key players Forest will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Soleil Smith, who had five points along with eight assists and five steals. Those five steals gave her a new career-high. Calise Smith was another key player, going 7 of 11 on her way to 15 points and five rebounds.

Forest has been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 13 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season. As for West Port, their record now sits at 12-7.

Forest came up short against West Port in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, falling 61-54. Can Forest avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.