Basketball Game Preview: Daniel Lions vs. Pickens Blue Flame

Daniel is 10-0 against Pickens since February of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Daniel Lions will be playing in front of their home fans against the Pickens Blue Flame at 7:30 p.m. The timing is sure in Daniel's favor as the squad sits on eight straight wins at home while Pickens has been banged up by 15 consecutive losses on the road dating back to last season.

On Wednesday, Daniel was able to grind out a solid win over Berea, taking the game 75-63. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 44th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 187th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Will Swann was his usual excellent self, going 10 of 17 on his way to 25 points. Those 25 points gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jackson Conley, who posted 12 points along with six boards and three blocks.

Meanwhile, Pickens came up short against Travelers Rest on Wednesday, falling 64-39.

Pickens' loss dropped their record down to 3-14. As for Daniel, their victory bumped their record up to 10-5.

Daniel came out on top in a nail-biter against Pickens in their previous matchup back in December of 2022, sneaking past 48-45. Will Daniel repeat their success, or does Pickens have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.