Basketball Game Preview: Zanesville Blue Devils vs. Johnstown-Monroe Johnnies

The Zanesville Blue Devils will head out to take on the Johnstown-Monroe Johnnies at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

Zanesville is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Licking Heights just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. The contest between them and the Hornets didn't end well, with Zanesville falling 63-46. While losing is never fun, the Blue Devils can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 367th, while the Hornets are ranked 97th).

Meanwhile, Johnstown-Monroe beat Utica 56-48 on Friday.

Johnstown-Monroe has also been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.8 points per game. As for Zanesville, their loss dropped their record down to 8-10.

Zanesville was able to grind out a solid victory over Johnstown-Monroe when the teams last played back in January of 2024, winning 53-45. The rematch might be a little tougher for Zanesville since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.