Basketball Game Preview: Liberty Bison vs. Canyon Springs Cougars

The Liberty Bison are taking a road trip to take on the Canyon Springs Cougars at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Liberty is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.

Last Saturday, Liberty came up short against Fullerton and fell 34-21.

Kelli Harris-Wellman put forth a good effort for the losing side as she posted six points in addition to eight rebounds and six steals. She has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last five times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Erin Payne, who had four points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Canyon Springs was able to grind out a solid win over Orange Vista on Tuesday, taking the game 54-44.

Canyon Springs' win came from a few key players Liberty will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kaleayah Marshall, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 17 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Izabella Tejada, who almost dropped a triple-double on nine points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists.

Canyon Springs smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 35 consecutive games dating back to last season.

Liberty's loss dropped their record down to 4-10. As for Canyon Springs, their victory bumped their record up to 12-3.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Liberty has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 27.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Canyon Springs struggles in that department as they've been averaging 40.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Liberty might still be hurting after the 55-33 defeat they got from Canyon Springs in their previous matchup back in December of 2022. Can Liberty avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.