Basketball Game Preview: Monroe Central Seminoles vs. Martins Ferry Purple Riders

The Monroe Central Seminoles will challenge the Martins Ferry Purple Riders at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Monroe Central has five straight wins, Martins Ferry has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Friday, Monroe Central strolled past Wheeling Central Catholic with points to spare, taking the game 63-47.

Meanwhile, Martins Ferry came up short against St. Clairsville on Saturday, falling 69-48. While losing is never fun, the Purple Riders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 442nd, while the Red Devils are ranked 121st).

Monroe Central's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-1. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 75.7 points per game. As for Martins Ferry, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-7.

Monroe Central beat Martins Ferry 82-75 when the teams last played back in December of 2024. Will Monroe Central repeat their success, or does Martins Ferry have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.