Basketball Game Preview: Princeton Tigers vs. Green City Gophers

The Princeton Tigers will face off against the Green City Gophers at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Princeton is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 52-32 margin over Grundy County/Newtown-Harris. The Tigers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 matches by 20 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Green City came tearing into Thursday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 29.8 points), and they left with even more momentum. They took down the Wildcats 59-40. Given the Gophers' advantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 157th, while the Wildcats are ranked 408th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Green City's win came from a few key players Princeton will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jaryn Hatcher, who almost dropped a triple-double with 17 points, 13 boards, and nine blocks. She has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 21 times she's played. Macy Jeffries was another key player, shooting 45% from the field on her way to 22 points and five assists.

The win made it two in a row for Princeton and bumps their season record up to 20-4. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.5 points over those games. As for Green City, their record now sits at 22-4.

Princeton couldn't quite finish off Green City in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 and fell 55-52. Can Princeton avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.