GILLETTE, Wyo. (Interstat) — The Gillette College Pronghorns and Casper College Thunderbirds will meet for the second time this month in a pivotal Region IX men’s junior college basketball matchup Saturday night.

The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Casper’s Swede Erickson Thunderbird Gym on Sophomore Night, where the Thunderbirds will honor their second-year players.

Both teams enter with nearly identical records and seeking momentum for the postseason. Gillette sits at 12-12 overall, while Casper is 11-15. The Thunderbirds won the previous meeting 83-76 on Feb. 11 in Gillette.

A key matchup will feature two of the region’s top forwards. Gillette’s Sayed Sayed is coming off a dominant performance, scoring 32 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a 95-89 win over Eastern Wyoming on Wednesday. In the first game against Casper this season, Sayed tallied 22 points and six rebounds.

Casper will counter with Channing Cade, who recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the February victory over Gillette. Cade has been a consistent force, averaging a double-double over his last seven games, including a 20-point, 14-rebound effort against Western Wyoming on Feb. 14.

Gillette’s recent form has been uneven, alternating wins and losses over its past six games. Beyond Sayed, the Pronghorns received strong contributions from Diabe Bathily (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Rashad McCormick (24 points) in their latest win.

Casper had a five-game winning streak snapped in a 79-70 home loss to Northwest College on Feb. 21. Prior to that, the Thunderbirds’ surge was fueled by Cade and guard Zaire Richardson, who scored 17 points in the loss to Northwest.

With playoff seeding on the line and Casper celebrating its sophomores in their final regular-season home game, the atmosphere is expected to be charged for this regional rivalry rematch.