Preview: Hicksville Aces vs. Ayersville Pilots
The Hicksville Aces will head out on the road to square off against the Ayersville Pilots at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Hicksville has struggled recently with nine defeats in a row, while Ayersville will arrive with 11 straight wins.
Last Thursday, Hicksville came up short against Wayne Trace and fell 41-33. While losing is never fun, Hicksville can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 711th, while Wayne Trace is ranked 263rd).
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from McKenna Baird, who scored seven points along with five assists and two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Kennedy Adams, who scored eight points along with two steals.
Hicksville struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. They are winless (0-3) when they can't control their own glass like that.
Meanwhile, Ayersville stacked a sixth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Holgate 56-23 on the road. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory Ayersville has posted since November 28, 2023.
Ayersville can attribute much of their success to Taylor Craft, who scored seven points along with six rebounds and five blocks, and Ally Schindler, who scored nine points along with nine steals and seven rebounds. Craft hasn't dropped below two blocks for four straight games. Aeriel Brown was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with two steals.
Hicksville's loss was their fourth straight at home, which bumped their record down to 1-10. As for Ayersville, their win bumped their record up to 11-0.
Thursday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Hicksville have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 22.8 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Ayersville, though, as they've been averaging only 29.9 rebounds per game. Given Hicksville's sizeable advantage in that area, Ayersville will need to find a way to close that gap.
Hicksville ended up a good deal behind Ayersville in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, losing 43-24. Can Hicksville avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
