Basketball Game Preview: Paden City Wildcats vs. Van Bulldogs

Paden City hasn't had much luck against Van recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Paden City Wildcats will face off against the Van Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Van took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Paden City, who comes in off a win.

Paden City will head into Tuesday's contest on the come-up: they were handed a 27-point loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Heritage Christian 38-35. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Wildcats have posted since January 26th.

Ashton Wade had an outrageously good game as she dropped a double-double on 23 points and 11 boards. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Kimberly Burch, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten boards.

Meanwhile, Van unfortunately couldn't capitalize on their home-court advantage in their season opener. They were outmatched by Man and fell 46-14. The Bulldogs' defeat continues a trend for the team, making it four in a row dating back to last season.

Paden City will need focus on slowing down Hailey Tackett, one of several Van players who made an impact when they last played. She posted six points in addition to six boards and three blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of Brailynn McCarty, who put up two points along with five rebounds and four steals.

Paden City's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-2. As for Van, their loss dropped their record down to 0-1.

Paden City ended up a good deal behind Van in their previous matchup back in February of 2020, losing 48-32. Can Paden City avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.