Basketball Game Preview: Avalon Eagles vs. Covington Owls

Avalon is 1-6 against Covington since December of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. It'll be Battle of the Birds when the Avalon Eagles challenge the Covington Owls at 7:15 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Covington is hoping to do what Morgan couldn't back in December of 2024: put an end to Avalon's winning streak, which now stands at four games. Avalon breezed by Morgan to the tune of 60-20. That 40 point margin sets a new team best for Avalon this season.

Meanwhile, Covington had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.4 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Eagles 57-18. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Owls have posted since December 7, 2023.

Avalon better keep an eye on Jeremiah Cunningham. He was instrumental in Covington's win, going 6 of 12 on his way to 14 points in addition to eight rebounds and four steals. That's the most steals Cunningham has posted since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Ivan Mendez, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine boards.

Covington smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in 14 consecutive contests.

Covington has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten matches, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 52.8 points per game. As for Avalon, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-4.

Avalon came up short against Covington in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, falling 47-39. Can Avalon avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.