Basketball Game Preview: Westland Cougars vs. Olentangy Liberty Patriots

Westland is 0-4 against Olentangy Liberty since December of 2014 but things could change on Wednesday. The Westland Cougars are taking a road trip to take on the Olentangy Liberty Patriots at 7:00 p.m. Westland is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 56.9 points per game this season.

Westland took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Big Walnut, sneaking past 64-62. The win was all the more spectacular given the Cougars' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 383rd, while the Golden Eagles are ranked 104th).

Breaker Heller Jr.

Steals

02/21/25 vs Big Walnut	2
02/14/25 @ Hayes	3
02/07/25 @ Westerville South	6
02/04/25 @ Westerville North	2
01/31/25 @ Dublin Scioto	2
+ 2 more games

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Westland to victory, but perhaps none more so than Breaker Heller Jr., who went 6-for-15 to rack up 20 points and six assists. Heller Jr. has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last seven times he's played. Another player making a difference was Phoenix Funderburke, who dropped a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds.

Meanwhile, Olentangy Liberty ended up a good deal behind Olentangy Orange on Friday and lost 72-53. The Patriots haven't had much luck with the Pioneers recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.

Olentangy Liberty's defeat dropped their record down to 18-4. As for Westland, their victory bumped their record up to 7-15.

Westland and Olentangy Liberty were neck-and-neck in their previous meeting back in January of 2016, but Westland came up empty-handed after a 56-55 loss. Can Westland avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.