The Wharton Tigers will take on the Needville Bluejays at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for Wharton and four for Needville.
Wharton saw some tournament action on Saturday. They fell 61-53 to West Oso.
| 12/28/24 @ West Oso | 21 |
| 12/02/23 vs Galena Park | 20 |
| 11/19/24 vs Terry | 20 |
| 12/28/23 @ Westgate | 19 |
| 02/06/24 vs El Campo | 19 |
Despite the loss, Wharton had strong showings from Jacoryan Dickerson, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 11 boards, and Jameir Hearne-Robinson, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 13 boards. That's the most points Dickerson has posted since back in November of 2024.
Even though they lost, Wharton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 29 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in five consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Needville played a tough matchup on Tuesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They came up short against George Ranch, falling 71-48. The Bluejays were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 42-19.
Wharton will need focus on slowing down Bohdan Zeitz, one of several Needville players who made an impact when they last played. He went 6 of 15 on his way to 17 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaydon Ortiz, who posted 12 points and five assists.
Needville's defeat dropped their record down to 5-10. As for Wharton, their loss dropped their record down to 15-8.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Wharton has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 40.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Needville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Wharton came up short against Needville in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 51-44. Can Wharton avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
