Basketball Game Preview: Gladstone Gladiators vs. Newport Cubs

The Gladstone Gladiators will face off against the Newport Cubs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Gladstone is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak.

Gladstone came up into this matchup off a tough 21-point loss last Tuesday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of Philomath by a score of 46-44 on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Gladiators have suffered since December 19, 2023.

Meanwhile, everything went Newport's way against Molalla on Tuesday as Newport made off with a 69-46 victory. The Cubs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matchups by 21 points or more this season.

Newport's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-4. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 25.8 points. As for Gladstone, their loss dropped their record down to 4-8.

Gladstone beat Newport 51-40 in their previous matchup back in December of 2015. Does Gladstone have another victory up their sleeve, or will Newport turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.