Basketball Game Preview: Union Tigers vs. Paw Paw Pirates

Union and Paw Paw are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2019, but not for long. The Union Tigers will be playing at home against the Paw Paw Pirates at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Union is headed into the match having just suffered their biggest defeat since February 14, 2024 on Tuesday. They came up short against East Hardy, falling 55-32. The Tigers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, Paw Paw played a tough contest on Wednesday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were outmatched by Turkeyfoot Valley Area and fell 104-68. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Pirates came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 109th in West Virginia, while the Rams are ranked 275th in Pennsylvania).

Paw Paw has also been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-11 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.3 points per game. As for Union, they now have a losing record at 5-6.

Union was able to grind out a solid victory over Paw Paw in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, winning 83-75. Will Union repeat their success, or does Paw Paw have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.