Basketball Game Preview: South Rebels vs. Cuyahoga Falls Black Tigers

The South Rebels are taking a road trip to challenge the Cuyahoga Falls Black Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this contest.

Last Friday, South came up short against Riverside and fell 63-52. While losing is never fun, the Rebels can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 501st, while the Beavers are ranked 235th).

Meanwhile, Cuyahoga Falls was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They fell 53-45 to Nordonia.

South will need to focus on slowing down Shannon Payne, one of several Cuyahoga Falls players who made an impact when they last played. He went 8-for-15 on his way to 19 points and eight boards. Payne is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Hayden Johnson, who posted nine points in addition to eight rebounds and four steals.

Cuyahoga Falls' defeat dropped their record down to 9-13. As for South, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four games, which has put a noticeable dent in their 8-14 record this season.