Basketball Game Preview: Russell County Lakers vs. Southwestern Warriors

The Russell County Lakers will take on the Southwestern Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Russell County is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak.

Last Monday, Russell County didn't have quite enough to beat Wayne County and fell 53-50.

Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Southwestern's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. The contest between them and North Laurel didn't end well, with Southwestern falling 63-44. While losing is never fun, the Warriors can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kentucky basketball rankings (they are ranked 46th, while the Jaguars are ranked fifth).

Russell County will have to contain Kinsley Molden as she made an impact in Southwestern's last game. She posted 13 points and four steals. That's the most steals Molden has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Ava Jones, who had nine points.

Russell County's defeat dropped their record down to 3-10. As for Southwestern, their loss dropped their record down to 8-7.

Russell County came up short against Southwestern when the teams last played back in January of 2021, falling 55-48. Can Russell County avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.