Basketball Game Preview: Salamanca Warriors vs. Cleveland Hill Golden Eagles

The Salamanca Warriors will square off against the Cleveland Hill Golden Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

Cleveland Hill is facing Salamanca at the wrong time: Salamanca suffered their first home loss of the season on Tuesday and they're likely out for redemption. They took a 62-54 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Golden Falcons. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Warriors came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 112th, while the Golden Falcons are ranked 441st).

Meanwhile, Cleveland Hill was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their 19th straight defeat dating back to last season. They came up short against Tapestry, falling 76-51. The Golden Eagles were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 40-16.

Salamanca will have to contain Javier Nelson as he made an impact in Cleveland Hill's last game. He posted 27 points in addition to eight boards and three steals. Nelson is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Xavier Rhooms-Westbrooks, who went 5-for-12 on his way to 10 points along with seven rebounds and four steals.

Even though they lost, Cleveland Hill 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 eight offensive boards in 30 consecutive games dating back to last season.

Cleveland Hill's loss dropped their record down to 0-18. As for Salamanca, their defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 10-1 and their overall record down to 15-2.

Everything came up roses for Salamanca against Cleveland Hill in their previous matchup back in January, as the squad secured a 72-34 victory. In that matchup, Salamanca amassed a halftime lead of 36-14, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.