Basketball Game Preview: St. Mary's Ryken Knights vs. Wise Pumas

Having just played yesterday, the St. Mary's Ryken Knights will head out on the road to face off against the Wise Pumas at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.

It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 83-53, which was the final score in St. Mary's Ryken's tilt against Archbishop Carroll on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Knights can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 76th in Maryland, while the Lions are ranked 18th in District of Columbia).

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Wise). They claimed a resounding 89-47 victory over Bladensburg. The Pumas have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five games by 24 points or more this season.

St. Mary's Ryken better keep an eye on Dion Walker. He was instrumental in Wise's win, going 6 for 7 en route to 18 points and three steals. Cayden Hargrove was another key player, going 5 of 6 on his way to 14 points.

Wise's win bumped their record up to 9-2. As for St. Mary's Ryken, their defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 5-15.

St. Mary's Ryken barely slipped by Wise in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, winning 53-52. Will St. Mary's Ryken repeat their success, or does Wise have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.