Basketball Game Preview: Keystone Wildcats vs. Steele Comets

The Keystone Wildcats and the Steele Comets will round out the year against one another at at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Keystone's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

Keystone will bounce into Friday's contest after beating Norwalk, who they had gone 1-6 against in their seven prior meetings. Keystone came out on top against Norwalk by a score of 62-51 on Saturday. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 107th, while the Truckers are ranked 333rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Keystone got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Zach Shackelfod out in front who went 9 of 20 on his way to 19 points along with six rebounds and five assists. Shackelfod has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last six times he's played. Colt Cowling was another key player, going 7 for 14 on his way to 18 points in addition to six rebounds and four steals.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Steele). They walked away with an 81-71 victory over Avon Lake on Friday. While the Comets didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Keystone's win was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-0. As for Steele, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season.

Keystone came up short against Steele in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, falling 83-75. Will Keystone 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.