Basketball Game Preview: Rutland Raiders vs. South Burlington Wolves

The Rutland Raiders will challenge the South Burlington Wolves on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Rutland is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Colchester 54-26. The Raiders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine games by 24 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, South Burlington entered their tilt with Colchester on Friday with four consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with five. They came out on top against the Lakers by a score of 49-40. Given the Wolves' advantage in MaxPreps' Vermont basketball rankings (they are ranked fifth in Vermont, while the Lakers are ranked 36th in Vermont), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Rutland's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-7. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.0 points over those games. As for South Burlington, their victory bumped their record up to 14-7.

Rutland didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against South Burlington in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, but they still walked away with a 59-54 win. Will Rutland repeat their success, or does South Burlington have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.