The Marlington Dukes were the 51-28 winner over the Tuscarawas Valley Trojans when they last played one another back in January of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. Marlington opened the new year with a less-than-successful 36-31 loss to they on Saturday. While losing is never fun, they can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 286th, while Tuscarawas Valley is ranked 90th).
It was another big night for Leah Bourquin, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds for Tuscarawas Valley. Those seven rebounds set a new season-high mark for her. Another player making a difference was Locie Levengood, who scored six points along with three steals.
Marlington's defeat was their fifth straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 4-8. As for Tuscarawas Valley, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 9-1.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Marlington will take on West Branch at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday. West Branch's defense has only allowed 27.6 points per game this season, so Marlington's offense will have their work cut out for Marlington. As for Tuscarawas Valley, they will be playing in front of their home fans against John Glenn at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
