Basketball Game Preview: Trimble Tomcats vs. Notre Dame Titans

The Trimble Tomcats will face off against the Notre Dame Titans at 8:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Trimble took a loss when they played away from home last Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They claimed a resounding 49-13 victory over East. Given the Tomcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 370th, while the Tartans are ranked 775th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 34.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They blew past the Tartans 50-24.

Notre Dame's win came from a few key players Trimble will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Laney Strickland, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and 14 boards. She is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down nine or more in each of the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Jaysa Bryant, who posted nine points in addition to six boards and three steals.

Notre Dame smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 13 offensive boards in three consecutive matchups.

Trimble's record is now 13-10. As for Notre Dame, their record is now 14-8.

Trimble didn't have too much breathing room in their contest against Notre Dame when the teams last played back in January, but they still walked away with a 42-36 win. Does Trimble have another victory up their sleeve, or will Notre Dame turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.