Basketball Game Preview: Lakeview Bulldogs vs. Maplewood Rockets

The Lakeview Bulldogs will take on the Maplewood Rockets in a holiday battle at at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Lakeview will bounce into Saturday's game after beating South Range, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. Lakeview walked away with a 45-35 victory over South Range on Thursday. While the Bulldogs didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Meanwhile, Maplewood put another one in the bag on Monday to keep their perfect season alive. They enjoyed a cozy 49-30 win over Grand Valley. Given the Rockets' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 63rd, while the Mustangs are ranked 246th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Maplewood's win came from a few key players Lakeview will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Aliah Brumit, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten boards. Another player making a difference was Claire Urchek, who went 5 of 10 en route to 13 points and seven rebounds.

Maplewood smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in nine consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Maplewood pushed their record up to 6-0 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 60.0 points per game. As for Lakeview, their record now sits at 6-1.

Lakeview beat Maplewood 44-36 in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Lakeview since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.