Preview: Harding Raiders vs. Austintown-Fitch Falcons
The Harding Raiders will be playing at home against the Austintown-Fitch Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Harding pushed their score all the way to 58 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 63-58 hit to the loss column at the hands of Canfield.
Meanwhile, Austintown-Fitch was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Sunday as they fell 51-45 to Newark. While losing is never fun, Austintown-Fitch can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 139th, while Newark is ranked 16th).
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Deshawn Vaughn, who scored 16 points along with two steals. Allen Hill jr was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with ten rebounds and two blocks.
Harding's defeat dropped their record down to 7-5. As for Austintown-Fitch, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 7-5.
Harding beat Austintown-Fitch 57-45 in their previous meeting back in February of 2023. Does Harding have another victory up their sleeve, or will Austintown-Fitch turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
