Basketball Game Preview: Cleveland Blue Raiders vs. Bearden Bulldogs

Cleveland is 0-8 against Bearden since December of 2017 but things could change on Tuesday. The Cleveland Blue Raiders will venture away from home to challenge the Bearden Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. Cleveland is coming into the match hot, having won their last 11 games.

Cleveland is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Baylor: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Cleveland blew Baylor out of the water with a 55-13 final score. The Blue Raiders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten contests by 21 points or more this season.

Lauren Hurst

Blocked Shots

01/12/24 @ McMinn County	6
02/02/24 vs Bradley Central	6
02/09/24 vs Rhea County	4
01/30/24 vs McMinn County	3
12/11/23 vs Chattanooga Christian	3

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Cleveland to victory, but perhaps none more so than Lauren Hurst, who went 6 for 12 en route to 15 points and three blocks. That's the most blocks Hurst has posted since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Ilianis Rodriguez, who made all 5 shots she took racking up 13 points and six steals.

Meanwhile, Bearden faced Morristown-Hamblen East in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Monday. Bearden fell just short of Morristown-Hamblen East by a score of 60-58. The Bulldogs' loss signaled the end of their seven-game winning streak.

Cleveland pushed their record up to 18-4 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.5 points per game. As for Bearden, their defeat dropped their record down to 22-4.

Cleveland came up short against Bearden in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, falling 42-33. Can Cleveland avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.