Basketball Game Preview: Pottsville Crimson Tide vs. Minersville Battlin' Miners

The Pottsville Crimson Tide are taking a road trip to take on the Minersville Battlin' Miners at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Pottsville comes in on four and Minersville on nine.

Last Saturday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Pottsville beat Palmyra 61-56. Given the Crimson Tide's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 132nd, while the Cougars are ranked 274th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Pottsville's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ryder Bowers led the charge by as he made all 5 shots he took for 19 points. JuJu Bainbridge was another key player, as he made all 5 shots he took racking up 14 points.

Meanwhile, Minersville hadn't done well against Schuylkill Haven recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. Minersville breezed by Schuylkill Haven to the tune of 73-37. The Battlin' Miners have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten games by 21 points or more this season.

Minersville pushed their record up to 13-2 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.6 points per game. As for Pottsville, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-5 record this season.

Pottsville came up short against Minersville in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 44-34. Can Pottsville avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.