Basketball Game Preview: Independence Blue Devils vs. Rootstown Rovers

Having just played yesterday, the Independence Blue Devils will head out on the road to face off against the Rootstown Rovers at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

On Friday, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Independence beat Beachwood 42-36. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Blue Devils.

Meanwhile, Rootstown put another one in the bag on Monday to keep their perfect season alive. They put the hurt on Field with a sharp 70-48 win. The Rovers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 22 points or more this season.

Independence better keep an eye on Addy Germann. She was instrumental in Rootstown's win, going 6 of 10 from beyond the arc en route to 24 points. Those 24 points gave Germann a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cloe Bengtson, who posted 15 points along with six boards and three steals.

Rootstown was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

Rootstown pushed their record up to 5-0 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.2 points per game. As for Independence, they now have a winning record of 3-2.

Independence was dealt a bruising 62-27 defeat at the hands of Rootstown when the teams last played back in December of 2023. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point Independence was down 42-14.