Basketball Game Preview: Russia Raiders vs. Fort Loramie Redskins

The Russia Raiders will take on the Fort Loramie Redskins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Russia is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.

Russia is returning to their home court after beating Botkins on theirs, despite the fact Botkins has dominated at home this season. Russia walked away with a 47-36 victory over Botkins on Friday. The 47-point effort marked the Raiders' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Meanwhile, Fort Loramie hadn't done well against Jackson Center recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Fort Loramie came out on top in a nail-biter against Jackson Center, sneaking past 36-33. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Redskins have posted against the Tigers since December 3, 2021.

Russia better keep an eye on Maxwell Maurer. He was instrumental in Fort Loramie's win, putting up 13 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Carter Gasson, who posted eight points and five rebounds.

Fort Loramie was working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matches.

Russia's victory was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 20-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.5 points over those games. As for Fort Loramie, their win bumped their record up to 10-11.

Everything came up roses for Russia against Fort Loramie in their previous meeting back in January, as the team secured a 58-26 victory. In that contest, Russia amassed a halftime lead of 36-16, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.