Basketball Game Preview: Buckeye Valley Barons vs. Amanda-Clearcreek Aces

The Buckeye Valley Barons will wrap up 2024 with a road trip to face off against the Amanda-Clearcreek Aces at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Monday, in a tight contest that could have gone either way, Buckeye Valley made off with a 49-48 victory over Hayes. Given the Barons' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 96th, while the Pacers are ranked 401st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Buckeye Valley's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ella Hazelrigg led the charge by dropping a double-double on 15 points and ten boards. The game was Hazelrigg's third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Addison Graham, who posted six points in addition to five assists and five boards.

Buckeye Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in seven consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Amanda-Clearcreek had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Saturday. They escaped with a win against the Bulldogs by the margin of a single free throw, 53-52.

Amanda-Clearcreek pushed their record up to 7-2 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.7 points per game. As for Buckeye Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 9-1.

Buckeye Valley came up short against Amanda-Clearcreek when the teams last played back in December of 2023, falling 50-39. Can Buckeye Valley avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.