Basketball Game Preview: Howland Tigers vs. Barberton Magics

The Howland Tigers will head out on the road to challenge the Barberton Magics at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Howland is coming into the contest on a six-game losing streak.

Last Friday, Howland ended up a good deal behind Alliance and lost 52-37. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 345th, while the Aviators are ranked 112th).

Despite their defeat, Howland saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Steven Bubon, who posted nine points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Luca Naples, who earned five points.

Meanwhile, Barberton was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They took a 66-58 hit to the loss column at the hands of Twinsburg.

Like Howland, Barberton lost despite seeing results from several players. Kardiay Tyler led the charge by almost dropping a double-double with 22 points and nine rebounds. Tyler has become a key player for Barberton: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least 20 points, but 6-11 otherwise. De'Arion Holley was another key player, dropping a double-double with 22 points and 17 boards.

Howland's defeat dropped their record down to 8-14. As for Barberton, their loss dropped their record down to 10-12.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Howland has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 23.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Barberton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 43.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.