Basketball Game Preview: Kennewick Lions vs. Ridgeline Falcons

The Kennewick Lions will take on the Ridgeline Falcons at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Last Saturday, Kennewick blew past Cheney, posting a 69-26 victory. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Washington basketball rankings (they are ranked 42nd, while the Blackhawks are ranked 213th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Ridgeline walked away with it. They blew past the Bulldogs 76-52 on Saturday. The Falcons pushed the score to 63-33 by the end of the third, a deficit the Bulldogs cut but never quite recovered from.

Ridgeline's win came from a few key players Kennewick will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Habiba Adam, who went 7-for-8 en route to 18 points and five boards. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in field goal percentage (88%). Emma Myers was another key player, dropping a double-double with 12 points and 14 assists.

Ridgeline smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in four consecutive matchups.

Ridgeline's win was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 18-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.0 points over those games. As for Kennewick, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 16-5 record this season.

Kennewick took their victory against Ridgeline in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 63-42. Will Kennewick repeat their success, or does Ridgeline have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.