Basketball Game Preview: Crestview Knights vs. Allen East Mustangs

Crestview has gone 7-1 against Allen East recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Crestview Knights will square off against the Allen East Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. Crestview is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.

Last Tuesday, Crestview beat Coldwater 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.

Crestview can attribute much of their success to Kennedy Crider, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 11 boards. Crider has been hot recently, having posted ten or more rebounds the last three times she's played. Josie Kulwicki was another key player, putting up 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 matchups.

Meanwhile, Allen East unfortunately witnessed the end of their eight-game winning streak on Monday. They took a 55-46 hit to the loss column at the hands of Wayne Trace.

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

Crestview came up short against Allen East in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 45-40. Can Crestview avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.