Basketball Game Preview: Jonathan Alder Pioneers vs. Urbana Hillclimbers

The Jonathan Alder Pioneers are taking a road trip to take on the Urbana Hillclimbers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.

Urbana better have a healthy lead at halftime, because if last week is any indication, that's when Jonathan Alder really get things going. Jonathan Alder put the hurt on Graham Local with a sharp 53-28 victory on Tuesday. Given the Pioneers' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 100th, while the Falcons are ranked 732nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Urbana's strategy against Shawnee on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Urbana blew Shawnee out of the water with a 57-29 final score. That looming 57-29 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Hillclimbers yet this season.

Urbana pushed their record up to 6-4 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.3 points per game. As for Jonathan Alder, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season.

Jonathan Alder took their victory against Urbana when the teams last played back in December of 2024 by a conclusive 55-31. The rematch might be a little tougher for Jonathan Alder since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.