Preview: Champion Golden Flashes vs. Memorial Red Devils
Champion is 10-0 against Memorial since January of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Champion Golden Flashes the luxury of staying home another game and will welcome the Memorial Red Devils at 6:15 p.m. on January 25th. Hopefully Champion is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Memorial in Ohio (Champion is ranked 266th, while Memorial is ranked 762nd).
Last Monday, Champion didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against LaBrae, but they still walked away with a 52-47 victory.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Champion to victory, but perhaps none more so than Addie Warzala, who scored seven points along with seven steals and six rebounds. Kayla Haynie was another key contributor, scoring 16 points.
Meanwhile, Memorial's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Monday after their fifth straight loss. They lost to Garfield on the road by a decisive 64-45 margin. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Memorial in their matchups with Garfield: they've now lost seven in a row.
Despite their defeat, Memorial saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Angeliz Diaz, who scored seven points along with 12 rebounds and six assists, was perhaps the best of all. Diaz hasn't dropped below two steals for ten straight games. Another player making a difference was Diamon Sims, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Even though they lost, Memorial were working as a unit and finished the game with 11 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Champion's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-4. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.3 points per game. As for Memorial, their loss dropped their record down to 2-13.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Champion have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Memorial struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Champion against Memorial in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 as the squad secured a 54-20 victory. Will Champion repeat their success, or does Memorial have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
