Basketball Game Preview: Hilliard Darby Panthers vs. Marysville Monarchs

The Hilliard Darby Panthers will venture away from home to face off against the Marysville Monarchs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Marysville will be up against a hot Hilliard Darby squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. Hilliard Darby came within six points of losing the streak, but they secured a 64-58 W against Thomas Worthington. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 41st, while the CARDINALS are ranked 240th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Marysville posted their closest win since December 29, 2023 on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 56-53 victory over Olentangy Berlin. Winning may never get old, but the Monarchs sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.

Hilliard Darby's win was their 12th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.1 points over those games. As for Marysville, their victory bumped their record up to 12-9.

Hilliard Darby strolled past Marysville in their previous meeting back in January by a score of 73-58. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hilliard Darby since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.