The Memorial Red Devils will head out on the road to face off against the Garfield G-Men at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Memorial can now show off five landslide victories after their most recent game on Tuesday. They blew past Crestview 69-21 at home. Given Memorial's advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 317th, while Crestview is ranked 715th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
David Moore was his usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 18 points and 14 rebounds. He hasn't dropped below eight rebounds for five straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Josue Rodriguez, who scored 16 points.
Meanwhile, Garfield had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They walked away with a 73-61 victory over Champion on Tuesday. Garfield's offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Garfield's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Preston Gedeon led the charge by scoring 31 points along with five rebounds and two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Gedeon has scored all season. Cade Rock was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with eight rebounds and seven blocks.
Memorial has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-4 record this season. As for Garfield, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 3-10.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Memorial have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 30.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Garfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Memorial against Garfield when the teams last played back in December of 2023 as the team secured a 62-29 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Memorial since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
