Basketball Game Preview: Allen East Mustangs vs. Crestview Knights

Allen East is 1-7 against Crestview since February of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Allen East Mustangs will be playing at home against the Crestview Knights at 7:00 p.m. That match will pit two of the most dominant guards against one another: Rilynn Jones and Ellie Kline.

Last Monday, Allen East came up short against Wayne Trace and fell 55-46.

Meanwhile, Crestview came tearing into Tuesday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 17 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Cavaliers by a score of 43-33. Given the Knights' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 85th, while the Cavaliers are ranked 444th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Allen East better keep an eye on Kennedy Crider. She was instrumental in Crestview's win, dropping a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds. Crider has been hot recently, having posted ten or more boards the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Josie Kulwicki, who posted six points and five steals.

Crestview 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 four consecutive contests.

Crestview's victory was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-3. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.1 points per game. As for Allen East, their defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 11-2.

Allen East didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Crestview when the teams last played back in January of 2024, but they still walked away with a 45-40 win. Does Allen East have another victory up their sleeve, or will Crestview turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.