Basketball Game Preview: Champion Golden Flashes vs. Mineral Ridge Rams

The Champion Golden Flashes will head out to face off against the Mineral Ridge Rams at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with four losses in a row, Champion turned things around against Liberty on Monday. They enjoyed a cozy 42-24 victory over the Leopards.

Meanwhile, Mineral Ridge entered their tilt with Springfield on Monday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They walked away with a 61-49 win over the Tigers.

Champion better focus on containing Ava Hulett and Sullivan Sandy as the pair were huge in Mineral Ridge's win. Hulett dropped a double-double on 23 points and 20 boards, while Sandy went 6 for 15 en route to 21 points. Hulett is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last five games she's played. Kadence Conaway was another key player, putting up seven points.

Mineral Ridge smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in ten consecutive games.

Mineral Ridge is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 16-4 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.5 points per game. As for Champion, their victory ended a six-game drought on the road and puts them at 7-13.

Champion strolled past Mineral Ridge when the teams last played back in February of 2020 by a score of 45-27. The rematch might be a little tougher for Champion since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.