Basketball Game Preview: Elmira Express vs. Hornell Red Raiders

The Elmira Express will venture away from home to challenge the Hornell Red Raiders at 2:00 p.m. on Monday. Elmira is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 54.2 points per game this season.

Elmira took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They snuck past Corning-Painted Post with a 46-41 victory. Given the Express' advantage in MaxPreps' New York basketball rankings (they are ranked 87th, while the Hawks are ranked 412th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Mariah Matias

Points

02/13/25 vs Corning-Painted Post	15
02/10/25 @ Binghamton	20
02/05/25 @ Ithaca	19

Elmira's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Mariah Matias led the charge by dropping a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. The match was Matias' third in a row with at least 15 points. Addison Taft was another key player, putting up 14 points and three steals.

Meanwhile, Hornell entered their contest against Aquinas Institute on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Hornell had to suffer through a 75-44 loss at the hands of Aquinas Institute. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Red Raiders have suffered since December 30, 2024.

Elmira is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season. As for Hornell, their loss dropped their record down to 14-3.

Elmira took their win against Hornell in their previous matchup back in December of 2016 by a conclusive 50-29. In that matchup, Elmira amassed a halftime lead of 34-13, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Monday.