Basketball Game Preview: Merrimack Valley Pride vs. Derryfield Cougars

The Merrimack Valley Pride will venture away from home to challenge the Derryfield Cougars at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Merrimack Valley took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They breezed past Sanborn Regional to the tune of 56-23. The Pride have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 21 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Derryfield came tearing into Tuesday's game with ten straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 21.2 points) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 49-36 win over the Raiders.

Derryfield pushed their record up to 14-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road. As for Merrimack Valley, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season.

Merrimack Valley ended up a good deal behind Derryfield in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, losing 37-22. Can Merrimack Valley avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.