Basketball Game Preview: Kent-Meridian Royals vs. Jefferson Raiders

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Previous Games

01/25/24 - Home	71-59 W
12/19/23 - Away	69-55 W
01/30/23 - Away	53-64 L
02/02/22 - Home	73-57 W
06/01/21 - Home	74-36 W
+ 5 more games

Kent-Meridian is 9-1 against Jefferson since January of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Kent-Meridian Royals will host the Jefferson Raiders at 7:00 p.m. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.

Two weeks ago, Kent-Meridian might have been a little too into the holiday spirit, gifting White River an easy 74-51 victory. While losing is never fun, the Royals can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Washington basketball rankings (they are ranked 285th, while the Hornets are ranked 106th).

Meanwhile, Jefferson was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their 18th straight loss dating back to last season. They lost to Hockinson at home by a 71-52 margin.

Kent-Meridian's defeat was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Jefferson, their loss dropped their record down to 0-9.

Kent-Meridian was able to grind out a solid win over Jefferson in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, winning 71-59. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Jefferson's Jakob Bolli, who went 6 of 8 on his way to 21 points in addition to six boards and three blocks. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Kent-Meridian to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.