Basketball Game Preview: St. Helens Lions vs. Rainier Columbians

The St. Helens Lions will face off against the Rainier Columbians at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Rainier took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on St. Helens, who comes in off a win.

St. Helens picked up another tournament win on Saturday. They were the clear victor by a 61-40 margin over Sweet Home. That looming 61-40 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Lions yet this season.

Meanwhile, Rainier had to suffer through a 70-29 loss at the hands of Riverside. While losing is never fun, the Columbians can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Oregon basketball rankings (they are ranked 242nd, while the Pirates are ranked 75th).

St. Helens' victory ended a 12-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 4-5. As for Rainier, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-8.

St. Helens was able to grind out a solid win over Rainier in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, winning 57-47. The rematch might be a little tougher for St. Helens since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.