Basketball Game Preview: U-32 Raiders vs. Harwood Highlanders

The U-32 Raiders are taking a road trip to square off against the Harwood Highlanders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 81-53, which was the final score in U-32's tilt against Hazen on Wednesday. While losing is never fun, the Raiders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Vermont basketball rankings (they are ranked 41st, while the Wildcats are ranked ninth).

Meanwhile, Harwood came tearing into Wednesday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victor by a 71-47 margin over the Panthers.

Harwood pushed their record up to 12-3 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.3 points per game. As for U-32, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-12.

U-32 ended up a good deal behind Harwood when the teams last played back in January, losing 61-43. Can U-32 avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.