Basketball Game Preview: Arlington Red Devils vs. Liberty-Benton Eagles

Arlington and Liberty-Benton are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2015, but not for long. The Arlington Red Devils will venture away from home to face off against the Liberty-Benton Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

Arlington is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Crestview just ended the team's 11-game winning streak on Saturday. They fell 62-51 to the Knights. The loss put an end to the Red Devils' undefeated start to the season.

Meanwhile, Liberty-Benton entered their tilt with Allen East on Saturday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They strolled past the Mustangs with points to spare, taking the game 50-34. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 97th, while the Mustangs are ranked 463rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Liberty-Benton's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-1. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.7 points per game. As for Arlington, their loss was their first of the season and also makes their record 11-1.

Arlington came up short against Liberty-Benton in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 69-57. Can Arlington avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.