Basketball Game Preview: Hazen Highlanders vs. Liberty Patriots

Hazen hasn't had much luck against Liberty recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Hazen Highlanders will take on the Liberty Patriots in a holiday battle at at 7:15 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with 14 defeats in a row dating back to last season, Hazen turned things around against Juanita on Tuesday. They snuck past the Ravens with a 54-49 win.

Meanwhile, Liberty put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 72-69 victory over Mount Si. 72 seems to be a good number for the Patriots as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of points in their previous game.

Liberty pushed their record up to 7-0 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Hazen, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-8.

Hazen took a serious blow against Liberty when the teams last played back in January, falling 70-30. Can Hazen avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.