Basketball Game Preview: Tri County Area Vikings vs. Grant Tigers

Tri County Area is 2-8 against Grant since February of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Vikings will head out to challenge the Tigers at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

While Vikings fans will have to keep waiting for their squad to come home, they shouldn't be too worried about the road trip considering the result of Tuesday's season opener. They blew past Lakeview, posting a 73-37 win.

Tri County Area's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Trever McNees, who went 6-for-8 on his way to 18 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Blake Gentz, who shot 56% from the field en route to 14 points along with five rebounds and three steals.

Tri County Area smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in nine consecutive games dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Grant gave their fans exactly what they wanted out of a home opener on Tuesday. They escaped with a win against Cedar Springs by the margin of a single free throw, 53-52.

Tri County Area suffered a grim 79-55 defeat to Grant in their previous meeting back in January. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.