Basketball Game Preview: Troy Trojans vs. Athens Wildcats

Troy and Athens are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2020, but not for long. The Troy Trojans will look to defend their home court on Saturday against the Athens Wildcats at 4:15 p.m. Troy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.2 points per game this season.

Troy took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Towanda as Troy made off with a 77-54 win. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 161st, while the Black Knights are ranked 367th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Troy found their leader in sophomore Giana Renzi, who went 10 of 14 on her way to 27 points in addition to seven boards and four steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Renzi has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Alyssa Parks, who almost dropped a double-double on 17 points and nine rebounds.

Troy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in three consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Athens had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 20.8 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Wednesday. They walked away with a 42-32 victory over the Tigers. While the Wildcats didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Troy's win bumped their record up to 6-4. As for Athens, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.

Troy strolled past Athens in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 by a score of 55-38. Will Troy repeat their success, or does Athens have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.