Basketball Game Preview: Tuscumbia Lions vs. Columbia Independent

The Tuscumbia Lions will take on Columbia Independent at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Tuscumbia has struggled recently with four losses in a row, while Columbia Independent will arrive with three straight victories.

Tuscumbia is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against St. Elizabeth on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Tuscumbia was dealt an 81-49 defeat at the hands of St. Elizabeth. While losing is never fun, the Lions can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 531st, while the Hornets are ranked 172nd).

Meanwhile, Columbia Independent hadn't done well against Chamois recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Columbia Independent came out on top against Chamois by a score of 52-41.

Tuscumbia better keep an eye on Blake Morris. He was instrumental in Columbia Independent's win, dropping a double-double with 21 points and 14 boards. Morris' evening made it 13 games in a row in which he has scored at least 17 points. Deolu Adibiyi was another key player, putting up 11 points.

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

Tuscumbia's loss dropped their record down to 5-14. As for Columbia Independent, the win got them back to even at 8-8.

Tuscumbia was able to grind out a solid victory over Columbia Independent in their previous matchup back in January, winning 60-49. Will Tuscumbia repeat their success, or does Columbia Independent have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.