Basketball Game Preview: Richland Bombers vs. Chiawana Riverhawks

The Richland Bombers and the Chiawana Riverhawks will face off at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday without much rest having both just played. Richland has insisted on making their lastthree contests complete nail-biters, turning in a record of 1-2 during that stretch of close contests.

Richland fought the good fight in their overtime contest against Pasco on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Bulldogs by a score of 48-46.

Meanwhile, Chiawana came tearing into Friday's matchup with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 20 points) and they left with even more momentum. They really took it to the Suns for the full four quarters, racking up a 73-39 victory. The Riverhawks have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three games by 24 points or more this season.

Chiawana's win came from a few key players Richland will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kaia Foster, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 13 boards. Another player making a difference was Malia Ruud, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 14 rebounds.

Chiawana smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 25 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've managed all season.

Richland's loss was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-7. As for Chiawana, their win bumped their record up to 8-1.

Richland was dealt a bruising 69-37 defeat at the hands of Chiawana in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Can Richland avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.