Preview: West Branch Warriors vs. Alliance Aviators
West Branch is 9-1 against Alliance since January of 2020, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Wednesday. The West Branch Warriors will be playing in front of their home fans against the Alliance Aviators at 6:45 p.m. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
West Branch entered their tilt with Marlington with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. West Branch strolled past Marlington with points to spare on Wednesday, taking the game 45-26. Given West Branch's advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 36th, while Marlington is ranked 300th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, Alliance had to endure a five-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 52-50 victory over Carrollton on Wednesday. The win was just what Alliance needed coming off of a 59-28 loss in their prior contest.
West Branch pushed their record up to 12-2 with that victory, which was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.3 points per game. As for Alliance, their victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-11.
West Branch took their victory against Alliance when the teams last played back in December of 2023 by a conclusive 53-30. Does West Branch have another victory up their sleeve, or will Alliance turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
