Basketball Game Preview: Minerva Lions vs. Alliance Aviators

Minerva is on a six-game streak of home losses, Alliance a nine-game streak of away losses dating back to last season, but someone's luck will change on Wednesday. The Minerva Lions will host the Alliance Aviators at 6:45 p.m. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

On Saturday, Minerva lost to Salem on the road by a 52-33 margin. The Lions were down 44-19 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.

Meanwhile, Alliance took a blow against West Branch on Wednesday, falling 67-4. While losing is never fun, the Aviators can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 719th, while the Warriors are ranked 99th).

Minerva's loss dropped their record down to 6-10. As for Alliance, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-15.

Everything came up roses for Minerva against Alliance when the teams last played back in December of 2024, as the team secured a 56-12 win. In that matchup, Minerva amassed a halftime lead of 44-4, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Wednesday.