Basketball Game Preview: Franklin Heights Falcons vs. Buckeye Valley Barons

The Franklin Heights Falcons will take on the Buckeye Valley Barons in a holiday battle at at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Franklin Heights will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.

While Franklin Heights didn't have the best season last year (they finished 3-20), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They managed a 47-43 win over Bexley on Friday. The score was all tied up 22-22 at the break, but the Falcons were the better team in the second half.

Franklin Heights had a senior duo take command as Kent Hairston went 9 of 16 on his way to 22 points and Noah Kershaw went 6 for 11 on his way to 16 points and five rebounds. The match was Hairston's third in a row with at least ten points.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Buckeye Valley). They strolled past North Union with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 63-49.

Franklin Heights' victory was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.0 points per game. As for Buckeye Valley, their win bumped their record up to 2-4.

Franklin Heights was dealt a bruising 77-38 defeat at the hands of Buckeye Valley when the teams last played back in January of 2022. Can Franklin Heights avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.