Basketball Game Preview: Tuscarawas Valley Trojans vs. Waterford Wildcats

The Tuscarawas Valley Trojans will face off against the Waterford Wildcats at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Tuscarawas Valley's defense has only allowed 26 points per game this season, so Waterford's offense will have their work cut out for them.

Tuscarawas Valley took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Claymont with a sharp 50-27 win. The Trojans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine contests by 23 points or more this season.

Leah Bourquin and Kaleigh Norris were among the main playmakers for Tuscarawas Valley as the former went 8 for 11 en route to 20 points and three steals and the latter went 7 of 10 on her way to 17 points and eight boards. Those 17 points gave Norris a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Elli Wallick, who posted five points along with seven assists and three steals.

Meanwhile, Waterford entered their tilt with Southern on Thursday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They enjoyed a cozy 43-27 victory over the Tornadoes. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 19th, while the Tornadoes are ranked 351st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Waterford's win was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-1. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 28.9 points per game. As for Tuscarawas Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 10-3.