Basketball Game Preview: Russia Raiders vs. Botkins Trojans

The Russia Raiders are taking a road trip to challenge the Botkins Trojans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Russia will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.

Russia is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Versailles: they outscored them in every quarter. Russia took down Versailles 60-42 on Saturday. Given the Raiders' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 20th, while the Tigers are ranked 118th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Botkins unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 58-47 hit to the loss column at the hands of Jackson Center.

Russia's win was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-0. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.9 points per game. As for Botkins, their loss dropped their record down to 14-4.

Russia strolled past Botkins when the teams last played back in December of 2024 by a score of 57-38. The rematch might be a little tougher for Russia since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.