Basketball Game Preview: Ellicottville Eagles vs. Franklinville Panthers

The Ellicottville Eagles will challenge the Franklinville Panthers at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Ellicottville comes in on five and Franklinville on three.

Ellicottville is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They walked away with a 51-38 win over Maple Grove.

Dominic Polino

Rebounds (Career)

02/27/25 vs Maple Grove	13
12/16/24 vs Cassadaga Valley	12
12/09/24 @ Forestville Central	11
02/18/25 vs Forestville Central	10
12/18/24 @ Pine Valley Central	10

Ellicottville's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Dominic Polino led the charge by putting up seven points and 13 rebounds. Those 13 boards gave Polino a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Blake Smith, who posted 15 points and five rebounds.

Ellicottville smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 25 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Franklinville was able to grind out a solid victory over Forestville Central last Wednesday, taking the game 60-47.

Franklinville's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-4. As for Ellicottville, their victory bumped their record up to 14-7.

Ellicottville couldn't quite finish off Franklinville in their previous matchup back in February and fell 48-45. Can Ellicottville avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.