Basketball Game Preview: Annapolis Cougars vs. Lutheran Warriors

The Annapolis Cougars will venture away from home to face off against the Lutheran Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.

It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 70-23, which was the final score in Annapolis' tilt against Crestwood on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Michigan basketball rankings (they are ranked 662nd, while the Chargers are ranked 228th).

Meanwhile, Lutheran had already won nine in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.7 points) and they went ahead and made it ten on Tuesday. They enjoyed a cozy 44-27 win over the Eagles.

Lutheran's win came from a few key players Annapolis will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Lillian Fremder, who posted eight points and five steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last seven games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Anastasia Johnston, who dropped a double-double with ten points and ten boards.

Lutheran smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in five consecutive games.

Lutheran pushed their record up to 13-3 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.9 points over those games. As for Annapolis, they have been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine matchups, which has put a noticeable dent in their 2-12 record this season.

Annapolis suffered a grim 42-22 defeat to Lutheran in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Can Annapolis avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.