Basketball Game Preview: Newton Falls Tigers vs. East Palestine Bulldogs

Tigers

Points

02/14/25 @ LaBrae	57
02/11/25 @ Southeast	48
02/07/25 vs Champion	52
02/05/25 vs Liberty	69
02/04/25 @ Brookfield	48
+ 17 more games

The Newton Falls Tigers will take on the East Palestine Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Newton Falls is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.6 points per game this season.

Newton Falls is headed into Friday's contest hungry for a win as their strong season has now been derailed by two straight losses. They were two points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 59-57 heartbreaker at the hands of LaBrae.

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Landon McGregor, who almost dropped a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds. Another player making a difference was Phil Davis, who went 6-for-13 en route to 15 points in addition to six boards and three steals.

Meanwhile, East Palestine came up short against Western Reserve on Saturday and fell 50-41. The Bulldogs haven't had much luck with the Blue Devils recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.

Like East Palestine, they lost despite seeing results from several players. Drew Bycroft led the charge by going 6-for-10 on his way to 14 points. That's the most points Bycroft has posted since back in February of 2024. Owen Jurjavcic was another key player, putting up 12 points and eight rebounds.

East Palestine now has a losing record of 10-11. As for Newton Falls, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-7.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Newton Falls has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 30.6 boards per game. However, it's not like East Palestine struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Everything came up roses for Newton Falls against East Palestine when the teams last played back in February of 2021, as the team secured a 63-21 victory. In that game, Newton Falls amassed a halftime lead of 41-6, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.