Preview: Austintown-Fitch Falcons vs. Harding Raiders
Austintown-Fitch has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Harding Raiders at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Harding took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Austintown-Fitch, who comes in off a win.
Austintown-Fitch posted their closest win yet this season last Wednesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Boardman and snuck past 40-38.
Austintown-Fitch relied on the efforts of Destanie Mccullough, who scored seven points along with 11 rebounds and five assists, and Ayla Ray, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, Harding's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their third straight loss. They were dealt a 61-33 loss at the hands of Canfield. While losing is never fun, Harding can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 313th, while Canfield is ranked 90th).
Austintown-Fitch pushed their record up to 11-3 with that victory, which was their third straight at home. As for Harding, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost five of their last six contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-8 record this season.
Everything came up roses for Austintown-Fitch against Harding in their previous meeting on January 3rd as the squad secured a 51-16 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Austintown-Fitch since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
