Basketball Game Preview: Glenvar Highlanders vs. Salem Spartans

Glenvar and Salem are an even 4-4 against one another since February of 2018, but not for long. The Glenvar Highlanders will square off against the Salem Spartans at 8:15 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.

Glenvar will head into Wednesday's contest hoping to keep the good times rolling: they proved they can win big on Monday (they won by 21) and on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 63-60 win over Carroll County. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Highlanders' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 93rd, while the Cavaliers are ranked 35th).

Meanwhile, Salem entered their tilt with Hidden Valley on Wednesday with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. They put the hurt on the Titans with a sharp 76-52 win. The Spartans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matchups by 24 points or more this season.

Salem's victory was their ninth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-2. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.7 points per game. As for Glenvar, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-3 record this season.

Glenvar came up short against Salem in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 61-56. Can Glenvar avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.