Basketball Game Preview: Harrison Central Huskies vs. Martins Ferry Purple Riders

The Harrison Central Huskies will head out on the road to take on the Martins Ferry Purple Riders at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Harrison Central has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with four straight losses, while Martins Ferry will come in with five straight wins.

Last Saturday, Harrison Central was beaten by Malvern 76-47. While losing is never fun, the Huskies can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 515th, while the Hornets are ranked 154th).

Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter, and that's exactly how it played out for Martins Ferry on Saturday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Bellaire out of the water with a 78-35 final score. The Purple Riders pushed the score to 61-28 by the end of the third, a deficit the Big Reds had no chance of recovering from.

Martins Ferry pushed their record up to 8-8 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. As for Harrison Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-12.

Harrison Central came up short against Martins Ferry in their previous meeting back in January of 2024, falling 66-62. Can Harrison Central avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.