Basketball Game Preview: Garfield Heights Bulldogs vs. Maple Heights Mustangs

The Garfield Heights Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Maple Heights Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Garfield Heights knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past six games -- so hopefully Maple Heights likes a good challenge.

Last Monday, Garfield Heights didn't have too much trouble with Cleveland Central Catholic as they won 63-49. The Bulldogs haven't had any issues with the Ironmen recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Maple Heights, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They strolled past East Tech with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 86-72. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 174th, while the Scarabs are ranked 620th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Garfield Heights' win was their 21st straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.3 points over those games. As for Maple Heights, they now have a winning record of 10-9.

Garfield Heights strolled past Maple Heights in their previous matchup back in January by a score of 85-66. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Maple Heights' Andre McCullough, who went 6 of 9 on his way to 14 points along with six boards and five assists. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Garfield Heights still be able to contain McCullough? There's only one way to find out.