Basketball Game Preview: Cranberry Area Berries vs. Brookville Raiders

The Cranberry Area Berries will square off against the Brookville Raiders at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Cranberry Area is coming into the match hot, having won their last 11 games.

Two weeks ago, Cranberry Area didn't have too much trouble with Clarion Area as they won 52-33. Given the Berries' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 230th, while the Bobcats are ranked 601st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Brookville was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 31-25 to DuBois.

Cranberry Area will have to contain Samantha Whitling as she made an impact in Brookville's last game. She posted 11 points along with six steals and five rebounds. Brookville is 6-3 when Whitling posts three or more steals, but 5-7 otherwise. Leah Rafferty also deserves some recognition as she scored her first points of the season.

Even though they lost, Brookville smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards every time they've taken the court this season.

Cranberry Area's victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-4. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.3 points over those games. As for Brookville, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five games, which has put a noticeable dent in their 11-10 record this season.

Cranberry Area didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Brookville in their previous meeting back in January, but they still walked away with a 51-46 win. Will Cranberry Area repeat their success, or does Brookville have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.