Basketball Game Preview: Newton Falls Tigers vs. Crestview Rebels

Newton Falls hasn't had much luck against Crestview recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Newton Falls Tigers will host the Crestview Rebels at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with three losses in a row, Newton Falls turned things around against Liberty on Thursday. They came out on top against the Leopards by a score of 28-21.

Meanwhile, Crestview had already won eight in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 37.1 points) and they went ahead and made it nine on Thursday. They breezed by the Warriors to the tune of 64-19. Given the Rebels' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 113th, while the Warriors are ranked 745th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Newton Falls better keep an eye on Addison Rhodes. She was instrumental in Crestview's win, putting up 20 points in addition to six steals and five boards. Rhodes' evening made it 13 games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Bri DiCross, who posted eight points and six steals.

Crestview smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in ten consecutive contests.

Crestview's victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-3. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 18.7 points per game. As for Newton Falls, their win bumped their record up to 6-10.

Newton Falls took a serious blow against Crestview when the teams last played back in December of 2024, falling 50-11. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Rhodes, who earned 21 points along with six assists and six steals. Now that Newton Falls knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.