Basketball Game Preview: Santiam Wolverines vs. Western Christian Pioneers

Santiam hasn't had much luck against Western Christian recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Santiam Wolverines will be playing in front of their home fans against the Western Christian Pioneers at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Santiam is headed into the game having just suffered their biggest defeat since February 1, 2024 on Wednesday. They came up short against Regis, falling 78-57.

Meanwhile, Western Christian had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 31.6 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Wednesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Trojans 78-16. The Pioneers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matches by 26 points or more this season.

Western Christian pushed their record up to 11-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 40.2 points. As for Santiam, their loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 9-4.

Santiam was taken down by Western Christian 75-39 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Will Santiam have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.