Basketball Game Preview: Athens Bulldogs vs. Logan Chieftains

The Athens Bulldogs will face off against the Logan Chieftains at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Athens is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58 points per game this season.

Athens is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Alexander just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Thursday. They took a 56-49 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Spartans. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Bulldogs came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 83rd, while the Spartans are ranked 293rd).

Athens' loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Asa Holcombe, who went 10 for 17 en route to 20 points and three steals, and Alexis Koopal, who posted ten points in addition to six boards and five steals. Those five steals gave Koopal a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Brystol Stump, who had seven points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Logan was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They took a hard 58-42 fall against Reynoldsburg.

Logan's loss dropped their record down to 4-14. As for Athens, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 9-1 and their overall record down to 14-4.

Athens was able to grind out a solid victory over Logan when the teams last played back in December of 2023, winning 49-38. Will Athens repeat their success, or does Logan have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.