Basketball Game Preview: Marietta Blue Devils vs. Etowah Eagles

Marietta has gone 4-0 against Etowah recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Marietta Blue Devils will take on the Etowah Eagles at 6:00 p.m. Marietta is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 55.4 points per game this season.

Last Saturday, Marietta rang in the new year with a 54-47 win over Starr's Mill.

Marietta found their leader in freshman Leah DeWitt, who went 6 for 13 on her way to 28 points in addition to five rebounds and four steals. DeWitt's afternoon made it 15 games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyann Senior, who posted eight points along with 12 boards and three steals.

Marietta smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 15 consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Etowah entered their game against North Paulding on Tuesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Etowah took a 52-41 hit to the loss column at the hands of North Paulding. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 32nd, while the Wolfpack are ranked fifth).

Marietta has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.0 points per game. As for Etowah, their defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-3.

Marietta was able to grind out a solid victory over Etowah when the teams last played back in November of 2023, winning 52-44. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Etowah's Megan Reed, who almost dropped a double-double on 24 points and nine rebounds. Now that she won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for Marietta to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.