Basketball Game Preview: Oak Ridge Pioneers vs. St. Cloud Bulldogs

Two dominant guards in Khalise Vidal and Arianna Viera are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Oak Ridge Pioneers will face off against the St. Cloud Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Oak Ridge is headed into the matchup having just suffered their biggest loss since December 27, 2024 on Saturday. They were outmatched by Dr. Phillips and fell 80-38. The defeat continues a trend for the Pioneers in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now lost seven in a row.

Meanwhile, St. Cloud extended their postseason success on Saturday against Harmony. They snuck past the Longhorns with a 39-33 win. The victory was familiar territory for the Bulldogs who have now won three contests in a row.

St. Cloud's win came from a few key players Oak Ridge will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Syani Berrios, who posted ten points and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Viera, who scored 13 points and four steals.

St. Cloud's win bumped their record up to 18-8. As for Oak Ridge, their loss dropped their record down to 17-9.

Oak Ridge lost to St. Cloud on the road by a decisive 51-34 margin when the teams last played back in December of 2020. Thankfully for Oak Ridge, Eno Inyang (who went 12 for 18 to rack up 24 points and eight boards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.