Basketball Game Preview: Northwest Yeshiva Lions vs. Muckleshoot Tribal Kings

Northwest Yeshiva is 2-8 against Muckleshoot Tribal since December of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Northwest Yeshiva Lions will head out on the road to face off against the Muckleshoot Tribal Kings at 5:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Last Tuesday, Northwest Yeshiva came up short against Evergreen Lutheran and fell 67-60. The Lions have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Despite their defeat, Northwest Yeshiva saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Leon Varon, who shot 5-for-9 from deep and dropped a double-double on 19 points and 15 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. With that strong performance, Varon is now averaging an impressive 8.1 boards per game. Evan Kaufthal was another key player, going 8 for 19 on his way to 18 points in addition to eight rebounds and six assists.

Meanwhile, Muckleshoot Tribal came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25.6 points) and they left with even more momentum. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Mustangs 77-35. The Kings have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 22 points or more this season.

Muckleshoot Tribal's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-2. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 29 points. As for Northwest Yeshiva, their loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-5.

Northwest Yeshiva ended up a good deal behind Muckleshoot Tribal when the teams last played back in February of 2024, losing 87-68. Can Northwest Yeshiva avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.