Basketball Game Preview: Loveland Tigers vs. Lebanon Warriors

Loveland and Lebanon are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2021, but not for long. The Loveland Tigers will welcome the Lebanon Warriors at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Loveland is likely headed into the matchup with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against West Clermont on Thursday. Loveland fell to West Clermont 54-49. The Tigers haven't had much luck with the Wolves recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Bella Rogers, who went 7 for 11 en route to 18 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. Ryann Unruh was another key player, putting up six points and seven assists.

Even though they lost, Loveland smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Lebanon strolled past Turpin with points to spare on Thursday, taking the game 50-36. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 158th, while the Spartans are ranked 599th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Lebanon's victory bumped their record up to 7-8. As for Loveland, they now have a losing record at 6-7.

Loveland was taken down by Lebanon 57-30 in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Can Loveland avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.