Basketball Game Preview: Argonia Raiders vs. South Barber Chieftains

Argonia is 0-9 against South Barber since December of 2015 but things could change on Friday. The Raiders will head out on the road to take on the Chieftains at 8:00 p.m. Neither of those teams managed to put together many points in their previous contests, so the offenses might be a little more motivated than usual.

Argonia is likely headed into the game with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Cunningham on Tuesday. The Raiders took a 32-19 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wildcats.

Corben Koehler

Steals

12/16/25 @ Cunningham	3
12/13/25 @ Central	3
12/12/25 vs Norwich	2
12/09/25 @ Caldwell	3
12/05/25 vs Pretty Prairie	4
12/02/25 vs Attica	4

Despite the defeat, Argonia had strong showings from Maddex Hemberger, who posted nine points and five steals, and Corben Koehler, who scored five points along with seven rebounds and three steals. Koehler is crushing it when it comes to steals: he's grabbed at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Carson Vineyard, who earned five points in addition to five boards and four steals.

Meanwhile, South Barber unfortunately couldn't capitalize on their home-court advantage in their season opener. They took a hard 47-28 fall against Kiowa County two weeks ago. The loss continues a trend for the Chieftains in their meetings with the Mavericks: they've now lost three in a row.

Argonia's defeat dropped their record down to 4-2. As for South Barber, their loss dropped their record down to 0-1.

Argonia came up short against South Barber in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 55-46. Can the Raiders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.