Basketball Game Preview: Sandy Valley Cardinals vs. Marlington Dukes

The Sandy Valley Cardinals will challenge the Marlington Dukes at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

On Friday, Sandy Valley lost to Malvern on the road by a 71-53 margin. While losing is never fun, the Cardinals can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 457th, while the Hornets are ranked 177th).

Meanwhile, Marlington ended up a good deal behind Alliance on Friday and lost 61-44.

Marlington's defeat dropped their record down to 7-5. As for Sandy Valley, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-7 record this season.

Sandy Valley strolled past Marlington in their previous meeting back in January of 2024 by a score of 63-44. Does Sandy Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will Marlington turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.