Basketball Game Preview: Jefferson Raiders vs. Mt. Rainier Rams

Jefferson and Mt. Rainier are an even 4-4 against one another since December of 2014, but not for long. The Jefferson Raiders will welcome the Mt. Rainier Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Jefferson is looking for their season's first victory.

On Thursday, Jefferson was beaten by Enumclaw 81-23. While losing is never fun, the Raiders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Washington basketball rankings (they are ranked 284th, while the Hornets are ranked 100th).

Meanwhile, Mt. Rainier made easy work of Auburn Riverside on Tuesday and carried off a 57-37 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Rams.

Mt. Rainier's win came from a few key players Jefferson will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Mason Emil, who went 7 of 12 on his way to 14 points along with seven boards and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Owen Brown, who went 5 of 11 en route to 12 points.

Mt. Rainier's victory bumped their record up to 6-1. As for Jefferson, their loss dropped their record down to 0-6.

Jefferson might still be hurting after the 70-50 defeat they got from Mt. Rainier when the teams last played back in January. Thankfully for Jefferson, Zach Luz (who went 12 of 23 on his way to 30 points along with six rebounds and five steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.