Basketball Game Preview: Simmons Blue Devils vs. Riverside Bulldogs

Simmons is 9-1 against Riverside since December of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Simmons Blue Devils will be playing at home against the Riverside Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Simmons sitting on eight straight victories and Riverside on three.

Simmons is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Leflore County: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Simmons blew Leflore County out of the water with a 69-20 final score. The Blue Devils have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 22 points or more this season.

Simmons got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Moesha Hoskins out in front who went 7 of 10 en route to 19 points along with six rebounds and six steals. The dominant performance gave Hoskins a new career-high in steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Sa'Riya Alexander, who posted 11 points in addition to five boards and four steals.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Riverside). They enjoyed a cozy 64-46 victory over South Delta on Tuesday.

Simmons' win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-0. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 33.7 points. As for Riverside, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a massive bump to their 5-3 record this season.

Simmons came up short against Riverside in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 48-42. Can Simmons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.