Basketball Game Preview: Eden Raiders vs. Riverside Frontiers

After both having extra time off, the Eden Raiders and the Riverside Frontiers will dust off their jerseys to square off against one another at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Eden is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 67.6 points per game this season.

Eden will head into Thursday's matchup on the come-up: they were handed a heart-breaking two-point loss in their last game, but they sure didn't let that happen against Tapestry two weeks ago. Eden put the hurt on Tapestry with a sharp 69-44 victory.

Eden's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Chris Krencik led the charge by going 8 for 12 on his way to 21 points in addition to five assists and five boards. The contest was Krencik's fifth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Wakelam, who went 8 of 10 on his way to 18 points along with seven boards and three steals.

Krencik wasn't the only one working in the assists department: Eden was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Riverside lost to Hutchinson-Central Tech at home by a 55-36 margin last Friday. The game marked the Frontiers' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Eden will have to contain Jahiem Foster as he made an impact in Riverside's last game. He posted 12 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Alhassane Balde, who put up six points.

Eden's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Riverside, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-4 record this season.

Eden took their victory against Riverside in their previous matchup back in December of 2023 by a conclusive 72-51. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Riverside's Landon Jaeckle, who posted 23 points. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Eden to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.