Basketball Game Preview: Bakersfield Lions vs. Willow Springs Bears

The Bakersfield Lions will head out to face off against the Willow Springs Bears at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Willow Springs took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Bakersfield, who comes in off a win.

Last Thursday, Bakersfield slipped by Gainesville 37-36. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 204th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 427th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Willow Springs has been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They took a 63-49 bruising from Thayer on Thursday.

Willow Springs' loss dropped their record down to 8-4. As for Bakersfield, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-2 record this season.

Bakersfield came up short against Willow Springs when the teams last played back in January of 2024, falling 51-42. Can Bakersfield avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.