Basketball Game Preview: Defiance Bulldogs vs. Shawnee Indians

Defiance hasn't had much luck against Shawnee recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Defiance Bulldogs will face off against the Shawnee Indians at 4:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Defiance comes in on four and Shawnee on 13.

Defiance is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They managed a 53-48 win over Wapakoneta. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 152nd, while the Redskins are ranked 321st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

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 Shawnee on Tuesday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Bowling Green out of the water with a 67-26 final score. The Indians have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matchups by 21 points or more this season.

Shawnee found their leader in sophomore Trevick Bertke, who on his way to 21 points and five assists. Bertke's big performance that evening made it 11 games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jagger Hutchins, who en route to 14 points.

Shawnee smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in three consecutive games.

Shawnee's victory was their 17th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 22-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.5 points over those games. As for Defiance, their record now sits at 19-5.

Defiance came up short against Shawnee when the teams last played back in January, falling 67-55. Can Defiance avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.