Basketball Game Preview: Barnesville Shamrocks vs. River Pilots

The Barnesville Shamrocks will head out on the road to challenge the River Pilots at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.

Last Monday, Barnesville came up short against Caldwell and fell 65-53. While losing is never fun, the Shamrocks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 559th, while the Redskins are ranked 74th).

Meanwhile, River was not able to break out of their rough patch two weeks ago as the team picked up their third straight loss. They were five points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 51-46 heartbreaker at the hands of Bridgeport.

Barnesville has traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last seven matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-7 record this season. As for River, they now have a losing record at 2-3.

Barnesville didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against River in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, but they still walked away with a 62-56 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Barnesville since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.