Riesel and Marlin are an even 3-3 against one another since December of 2018, but not for long. The Riesel Indians will be playing in front of their home fans against the Marlin Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Riesel has struggled recently with five defeats in a row, while Marlin will arrive with six straight victories.
Last Tuesday, things could have been worse for Riesel, but they could have been a whole lot better as they took a 51-36 loss to Hubbard. Riesel has not had much luck with Hubbard recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Trent Hickerson, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and ten rebounds. He hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Matthew Hawkins, who scored ten points along with seven rebounds.
In what's become a running theme this season, Marlin gave their fans yet another huge victory on Tuesday. They breezed by Mart at home to the tune of 80-30. Given Marlin's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 508th, while Mart is ranked 1403rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Riesel bumped their record down to 8-11 with that defeat, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Marlin, their win bumped their record up to 9-4.
Riesel lost to Marlin at home by a decisive 53-36 margin in their previous meeting back in February of 2023. Can Riesel avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
