Basketball Game Preview: LaBrae Vikings vs. Memorial Red Devils

The LaBrae Vikings will take on the Memorial Red Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

LaBrae is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Springfield 70-34. The win was familiar territory for the Vikings, who have now won five matches in a row.

Columbiana typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Memorial proved too difficult a challenge. They took their game with ease, bagging an 83-48 victory over the Clippers. The win was nothing new for the Red Devils as they're now sitting on five straight.

LaBrae better keep an eye on Josue Rodriguez. He was instrumental in Memorial's win, going 6-for-11 from beyond the arc on his way to 28 points. Rodriguez's big performance that evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least 28 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Teyon Harris Jr., who went 6-for-8 to rack up 15 points along with eight rebounds and three blocks.

Memorial smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in seven consecutive contests.

LaBrae's victory was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-5. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 26 points. As for Memorial, their win bumped their record up to 20-4.

LaBrae didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Memorial when the teams last played back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 55-51 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Memorial's Aziyah Flores, who went 8-for-14 en route to 19 points. Now that he won't be playing on Saturday, will it be easier for LaBrae to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.