Basketball Game Preview: Oak Hills Highlanders vs. Sycamore Aviators

Oak Hills and Sycamore are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2019, but not for long. The Oak Hills Highlanders are taking a road trip to challenge the Sycamore Aviators at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Oak Hills will be strutting in after a win while Sycamore will be coming in after a loss.

Last Tuesday, Oak Hills didn't have too much trouble with Colerain as they won 46-29. Given the Highlanders' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 106th, while the Cardinals are ranked 606th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Nathaniel Riep was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 11 points and ten boards. He is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last nine games he's played. Another player making a difference was Wil Kraus, who posted eight points.

Oak Hills smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Sycamore lost to Princeton at home by a 59-43 margin on Tuesday. The Aviators haven't had much luck with the Vikings recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.

Oak Hills is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. As for Sycamore, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-8.

Oak Hills came up short against Sycamore in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, falling 44-33. Can Oak Hills avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.