Basketball Game Preview: Harding Raiders vs. Cardinal Mooney Cardinals

The Harding Raiders will head out on the road to square off against the Cardinal Mooney Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Tuesday, Harding was able to grind out a solid victory over Canfield, taking the game 35-28. The 35-point effort marked the Raiders' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Mooney had to endure a ten-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They came out on top against John F. Kennedy Catholic by a score of 56-49 on Tuesday. The win was all the more spectacular given the Cardinals' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 413th, while the Eagles are ranked 148th).

Cardinal Mooney's victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 7-11. As for Harding, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-3 record this season.

Harding came up short against Cardinal Mooney in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 58-48. Can Harding avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.