Basketball Game Preview: Cyprus Pirates vs. Granger Lancers

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Previous Games

02/08/24 - Home	82-64 W
01/16/24 - Away	84-47 W
02/16/23 - Home	100-57 W
01/20/23 - Away	87-60 W
01/28/22 - Away	76-35 W
+ 5 more games

Cyprus is 10-0 against Granger since January of 2020 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Cyprus Pirates will be playing in front of their home fans against the Granger Lancers at 7:00 p.m. Cyprus is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 65.9 points per game this season.

Last Tuesday, Cyprus came up short against Juan Diego Catholic and fell 49-36. The match marked the Pirates' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Despite the defeat, Cyprus had strong showings from Beckham Bayles, who went 6 for 15 en route to 12 points along with six assists and six boards, and Paden Sharp, who posted 11 points. Kayson Mayo also deserves some recognition as he grabbed his first steal of the season.

Meanwhile, Granger was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their eighth straight loss. They took a 72-62 hit to the loss column at the hands of West Jordan.

Cyprus will have to contain Mason Biddulph as he made an impact in Granger's last game. He went 8 of 15 on his way to 22 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals. The dominant performance gave Biddulph a new career-high in steals. Another player making a difference was Isaiah Gukeisen, who earned five points along with six assists and six boards.

They weren't the only one working in the assists department: Granger was working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Granger's defeat dropped their record down to 1-12. As for Cyprus, their loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 8-6.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Cyprus has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Granger struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.3 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Cyprus strolled past Granger in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 by a score of 82-64. Does Cyprus have another victory up their sleeve, or will Granger turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.