Basketball Game Preview: Elyria Pioneers vs. North Ridgeville Rangers

The Elyria Pioneers will challenge the North Ridgeville Rangers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Elyria's favor as the team sits on 12 straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while North Ridgeville has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road.

Last Friday, Elyria came up short against Olmsted Falls and fell 55-42. The contest marked the Pioneers' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Jayden Crutcher

Points

01/24/25 @ Olmsted Falls	15
01/22/25 vs Avon	19
01/17/25 @ Berea-Midpark	27

Elyria's loss came about despite a quality game from Jayden Crutcher, who posted 15 points. The match was Crutcher's third in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kendyll Compton, who put up 11 points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, North Ridgeville also suffered a loss in their last game, but this one to Nordonia by a score of 48-40. While losing is never fun, the Rangers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 498th, while the Knights are ranked 222nd).

Elyria's defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 8-1 and their overall record down to 12-4. As for North Ridgeville, their loss dropped their record down to 4-11.

Elyria came out on top in a nail-biter against North Ridgeville in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, sneaking past 81-78. Does Elyria have another victory up their sleeve, or will North Ridgeville turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.