Basketball Game Preview: Groves Falcons vs. Royal Oak Ravens

It'll be a Battle of the Birds when the Groves Falcons take on the Royal Oak Ravens at 7:00 p.m. on Friday...

Last Tuesday, Groves lost to Rochester at home by a 52-36 margin. While losing is never fun, Groves can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Michigan basketball rankings (they are ranked 390th, while Rochester is ranked 146th).

Despite the loss, Groves saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Harlem Simpson posted 18 points along with five rebounds and four steals. Simpson is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last four games she's played.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Royal Oak). They came out on top against Troy by a score of 59-47 on Tuesday.

Royal Oak's win ended a four-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 4-4. As for Groves, they dropped their record down to 2-7 with the defeat, which was their fourth straight at home.

Groves came up short against Royal Oak in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, falling 47-35. Can Groves avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.