Basketball Game Preview: Loomis Wolves vs. Elm Creek Buffaloes

The Loomis Wolves will square off against the Elm Creek Buffaloes at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Loomis knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past six matches -- so hopefully Elm Creek likes a good challenge.

Last Saturday, everything went Loomis' way against St. Paul as Loomis made off with a 58-37 victory. The Wolves have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three games by 20 points or more this season.

Loomis found their leader in sophomore Jace Schukar, who went 10 of 16 en route to 23 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Schukar has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyson Essex, who posted 11 points and five boards.

Meanwhile, Elm Creek unfortunately witnessed the end of their eight-game winning streak on Tuesday. They had to suffer through a 69-38 loss at the hands of St. Patrick's. The contest marked the Buffaloes' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Despite the loss, Elm Creek saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Caleb Reiter went 8 of 15 on his way to 20 points. Those 20 points gave Reiter a new career-high.

Loomis is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 4-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.0 points per game. As for Elm Creek, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-2.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Loomis has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Elm Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Loomis opened the new year with a less-than-successful 59-50 loss to Elm Creek. Will Loomis 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.