Basketball Game Preview: Shaker Heights Red Raiders vs. Lutheran East Falcons

The Shaker Heights Red Raiders will head out on the road to square off against the Lutheran East Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Shaker Heights will be strutting in after a win while Lutheran East will be coming in after a loss.

Shaker Heights took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They escaped with a win against Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin by the margin of a single free throw, 39-38.

Meanwhile, Lutheran East fought the good fight in their overtime match against Warrensville Heights last Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Tigers by a score of 60-57. The Falcons' defeat signaled the end of their nine-game winning streak.

Shaker Heights will need focus on slowing down Ja'Tayvea Caldwell, one of several Lutheran East players who made an impact when they last played. She almost dropped a double-double on 18 points and nine rebounds. Caldwell has been hot recently, having posted eight or more boards the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Nae Ibekwe, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 12 boards.

Shaker Heights' victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-8. As for Lutheran East, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 9-1.

Shaker Heights came up short against Lutheran East when the teams last played back in January of 2024, falling 50-40. Can Shaker Heights avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.