Basketball Game Preview: Bethel Bison vs. Emerald Ridge Jaguars

Bethel hasn't had much luck against Emerald Ridge recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Bethel Bison will square off against the Emerald Ridge Jaguars at 7:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Bethel comes in on five and Emerald Ridge on four.

On Tuesday, Bethel humbled Curtis with a 66-27 victory. Given the Bison's advantage in MaxPreps' Washington basketball rankings (they are ranked 35th, while the Vikings are ranked 253rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Emerald Ridge blew past Yelm, posting a 57-10 victory. The Jaguars have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matchups by 28 points or more this season.

Bethel has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-2 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.3 points per game. As for Emerald Ridge, their win bumped their record up to 9-2.

Bethel came up short against Emerald Ridge in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 55-44. Can Bethel avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.