Basketball Game Preview: Richfield Tigers vs. Dietrich Blue Devils

Richfield hasn't had much luck against Dietrich recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Richfield Tigers will welcome the Dietrich Blue Devils at 7:30 p.m.

Richfield is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Mackay on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Richfield was dealt a 43-14 loss at the hands of Mackay. The Tigers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 23-3.

Malia Kent put forth a good effort for the losing side as she posted eight points and six steals. That was a full 57.1% of Richfield's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Dietrich). They claimed a resounding 72-20 victory over Castleford. The Blue Devils have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 22 points or more this season.

Dietrich's win came from a few key players Richfield will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Paje Van Tassell, who went 8 of 16 en route to 19 points in addition to six rebounds and six steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Aleigha Robertson, who put up 18 points and three steals.

Dietrich smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 13 consecutive games.

Dietrich's win bumped their record up to 6-7. As for Richfield, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-11.

Richfield was dealt a bruising 45-12 loss at the hands of Dietrich in their previous matchup back in December of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Richfield was down 31-6.