Basketball Game Preview: North Olmsted Eagles vs. Keystone Wildcats

The North Olmsted Eagles will face off against the Keystone Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

On Saturday, North Olmsted ended up a good deal behind Lakewood and lost 54-39. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 557th, while the Rangers are ranked 78th).

Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Keystone on Saturday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Medina Christian Academy out of the water with an 82-32 final score. The Wildcats have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matches by 20 points or more this season.

Keystone's win came from a few key players North Olmsted will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Liam Goran, who almost dropped a double-double on 17 points and nine boards. His evening made it six games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Zach Shackelfod was another key player, going 8 for 12 en route to 18 points and six steals.

Keystone was working as a unit and finished the game with 24 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

North Olmsted's loss was their seventh straight at home, which dropped their record down to 4-11. As for Keystone, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 14-2.

North Olmsted beat Keystone 56-49 in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Keystone's Grant Hartley, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 11 rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be easier for North Olmsted to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.