Basketball Game Preview: Lisbon Lions vs. West Branch Bears

Lisbon is 0-4 against West Branch since January of 2015 but things could change on Thursday. The Lisbon Lions will take on the West Branch Bears at 6:00 p.m. West Branch took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Lisbon, who comes in off a win.

Lisbon took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They blew past Cedar Valley Christian, posting a 62-22 victory. The Lions have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 22 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, West Branch was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They had to suffer through a 65-20 loss at the hands of Mid-Prairie. While losing is never fun, the Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Iowa basketball rankings (they are ranked 287th, while the Golden Hawks are ranked 86th).

With the win, Lisbon broke their four-game losing streak and moved their record to 8-8. As for West Branch, their loss dropped their record down to 2-12.

Lisbon came up short against West Branch in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 33-28. Can Lisbon avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.