Bruce is 2-8 against Houlka since January of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Bruce Trojans will head out on the road to face off against the Houlka Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. Hopefully Bruce focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 36 on Friday.
Bruce suffered their biggest loss since November 28, 2023 on Friday. They were outmatched by Calhoun City at home and fell 60-29. Bruce was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 39-13.
Despite the loss, Bruce saw an underclassman step up: Sutton Gore scored six points along with five steals.
Houlka can finally bid farewell to their four-game losing streak thanks to their game on Tuesday. They came out on top against Vardaman by a score of 65-52.
Houlka's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Neal Moore led the charge by scoring 16 points along with eight rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Moore has scored all season. Elijah Kilpatrick was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Bruce has not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-11 record this season. As for Houlka, their victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 9-11.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Bruce have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 26.6 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Houlka, though, as they've been averaging only 38.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Bruce took a serious blow against Houlka when the teams last played back in November of 2023, falling 60-33. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Houlka's Hayes Paden, who scored 13 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. Now that Bruce knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
