Basketball Game Preview: Marlington Dukes vs. Garfield Community Learning Center Golden Rams

The Marlington Dukes are taking a road trip to face off against the Garfield Community Learning Center Golden Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Garfield Community Learning Center took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Marlington, who comes in off a win.

Last Saturday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Marlington beat Canton South 47-42. Given the Dukes' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 264th, while the Wildcats are ranked 553rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Garfield Community Learning Center came up short against Buchtel on Friday and fell 57-47.

Marlington is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 13-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 57.3 points over those games. As for Garfield Community Learning Center, their loss dropped their record down to 12-6.

Marlington beat Garfield Community Learning Center 60-50 in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Marlington since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.