Basketball Game Preview: Sandy Valley Cardinals vs. Malvern Hornets

The Sandy Valley Cardinals will venture away from home to face off against the Malvern Hornets at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Sandy Valley has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Sandy Valley took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 56-47 win over Tuscarawas Valley. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Cardinals as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Malvern). They breezed by Central Christian to the tune of 79-45 on Tuesday. Given the Hornets' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 199th, while the Comets are ranked 403rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Malvern's win was their 20th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-2. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.5 points per game. As for Sandy Valley, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 5-6.

Sandy Valley came up short against Malvern when the teams last played back in February of 2023, falling 64-51. Can Sandy Valley avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.