Basketball Game Preview: White River Hornets vs. Auburn Mountainview Lions

Having just played yesterday, the White River Hornets will head out on the road to face off against the Auburn Mountainview Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

White River took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They claimed a resounding 69-31 victory over Enumclaw. White River has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three matchups by 38 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Auburn Mountainview didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Kentlake on Monday, but they still walked away with a 51-47 win. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Washington basketball rankings (they are ranked 133rd, while the Falcons are ranked 290th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

White River pushed their record up to 7-2 with the victory, 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 65.9 points per game. As for Auburn Mountainview, their record is now 6-3.

White River was able to grind out a solid win over Auburn Mountainview when the teams last played back in January of 2019, winning 56-44. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Auburn Mountainview's Taylor Flores, who posted 20 points. Now that she won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for White River to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.