Basketball Game Preview: Jasper Pirates vs. Lead Hill Tigers

The Jasper Pirates will face off against the Lead Hill Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Lead Hill better have a healthy lead at halftime, because if last week is any indication, that's when Jasper really get things going. Jasper blew past Founders Classical Academy 73-51 on Tuesday. Given the Pirates' advantage in MaxPreps' Arkansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 78th, while Founders Classical Academy are ranked 238th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Lead Hill hadn't done well against Omaha recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Lead Hill breezed by Omaha to the tune of 83-45. The victory was familiar territory for the Tigers who have now won six matchups in a row.

Lead Hill's win came from a few key players Jasper will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Noah Royce, who went 9 for 15 on his way to 23 points and three steals. He is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Kaden Baker, who went 7 of 9 en route to 15 points and six rebounds.

Lead Hill was working as a unit and finished the game with 27 assists. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now racked up at least 22 assists in five consecutive games.

Lead Hill's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-12. As for Jasper, they are also on a roll lately: they've won 16 of their last 18 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 23-6 record this season.

Jasper was able to grind out a solid victory over Lead Hill in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, winning 56-47. Does Jasper have another victory up their sleeve, or will Lead Hill turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.