Basketball Recap: De'arion Holley's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Barberton over Aurora

Barberton was the 69-53 winner over Aurora when they last played one another back in December of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Barberton Magics took a 54-47 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Aurora Greenmen on Friday. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Magics came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 170th, while the Greenmen are ranked 393rd).

Several Magics players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was De'Arion Holley, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 20 rebounds. Holley is crushing it when it comes to boards: he's pulled down at least ten every time he's taken the court this season. Joey Ondo was another key player, dropping a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds.

Barberton's defeat dropped their record down to 9-6. As for Aurora, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 6-9.

Barberton will face off against Jackson at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Jackson's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last ten matches. As for Aurora, they will square off against Chagrin Falls at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Chagrin Falls is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 55.1 points per game this season.