The Leon Lions's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Columbia Tigers at 12:30 p.m. on January 13th. Hopefully Leon focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 20 on Wednesday.
Last Wednesday, Leon was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 29-24 to Chiles. Leon has struggled against Chiles recently, as their game on Wednesday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.
Despite the loss, Leon had strong showings from Aneila Pierre, who scored three points along with 12 rebounds and two steals, and Tanner Owens, who scored four points along with six rebounds and two steals. Pierre hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for four straight games.
Meanwhile, Columbia lost to Madison County on the road by a decisive 63-49 margin on Thursday.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from JOLENA GARDNER, who scored nine points along with 11 rebounds and four steals. She is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last four games she's played. ZURI HOLLIE was another key contributor, scoring 15 points along with two steals.
Leon has not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-11 record this season. As for Columbia, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-6.
Saturday's matchup is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Leon have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 28.7 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Columbia, though, as they've been averaging only 26.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Leon couldn't quite finish off Columbia in their previous meeting back in February of 2020 and fell 42-39. Can Leon avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
