Basketball Game Preview: Liberty Lions vs. Edison Vikings

The Liberty Lions just played last yesterday, but they'll still welcome the Edison Vikings at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Liberty knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 11 contests -- so hopefully Edison likes a good challenge.

Liberty is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Weston Ranch: they outscored them in every quarter. Liberty came out on top against Weston Ranch by a score of 74-61 on Thursday. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 50th, while the Cougars are ranked 164th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Edison suffered their closest loss since December 12, 2023 on Wednesday. They fell just short of Pittsburg by a score of 52-49. The Vikings have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Liberty will have to keep a close watch on Tytus Billingsly and Mekhi Jefferson, a pair of players who had a big impact on Edison's prior game. Billingsly went 5 for 9 on his way to 14 points, while Jefferson dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds. Jefferson is on a roll when it comes to boards, as he's now pulled down ten or more in the last eight games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Isaiah Coilton, who posted four points in addition to six boards and three steals.

Edison's defeat dropped their record down to 8-7. As for Liberty, they are on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 14-2 record this season.

Liberty came up short against Edison when the teams last played back in November of 2021, falling 62-50. Thankfully for Liberty, Leon Mills Jr. (who went 7 of 14 on his way to 24 points along with seven steals and five assists) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.