Basketball Game Preview: Austintown-Fitch Falcons vs. Highland Hornets

The Austintown-Fitch Falcons will square off against the Highland Hornets at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Austintown-Fitch is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 55.2 points per game this season.

Austintown-Fitch played in conference for the first time on Tuesday and they got just the result they we're looking for. They enjoyed a cozy 64-49 victory over Howland. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Falcons.

Austintown-Fitch's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Marcel Finkley, who went 6 for 12 on his way to 17 points. Brady Evans was another key player, putting up nine points in addition to five assists and three steals.

Meanwhile, Highland unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Friday. They fell to Revere 58-54. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Hornets came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 65th, while the Minutemen are ranked 282nd).

Highland's loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 8-1 and their overall record down to 10-2. As for Austintown-Fitch, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-7.

Austintown-Fitch barely slipped by Highland when the teams last played back in February of 2024, winning 60-59. Will Austintown-Fitch repeat their success, or does Highland have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.