Basketball Game Preview: Harding Raiders vs. Austintown-Fitch Falcons

The Harding Raiders will head out on the road to square off against the Austintown-Fitch Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Harding is coming into the match hot, having won their last seven games.

Harding is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Ohio's top teams: Canfield, who was ranked 20th at the time (Harding was ranked 17th). Harding secured a 54-49 W over Canfield on Friday. The score was all tied up 25-25 at the break, but the Raiders were the better team in the second half.

Meanwhile, Austintown-Fitch fought the good fight in their overtime contest against Highland on Saturday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 57-53 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Hornets. While the Falcons didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Hornets 13-8 in the first quarter.

Harding pushed their record up to 12-2 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. As for Austintown-Fitch, they now have a losing record at 7-8.

Everything came up roses for Harding against Austintown-Fitch in their previous meeting on January 3rd, as the squad secured a 67-39 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Austintown-Fitch's Carter Owens, who posted 21 points and seven rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Harding still be able to contain Owens? There's only one way to find out.