The Fairland Dragons's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Warren Warriors at 6:15 p.m. on February 22nd. One thing working in Fairland's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last 11 matches.
In what's become a running theme this season, Fairland gave their fans yet another huge win on Thursday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Gallia Academy 74-31 on the road. Given Fairland's advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked tenth, while Gallia Academy is ranked 398th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Fairland relied on the efforts of Bailey Russell, who scored 19 points along with five rebounds and three steals, and Kylee Bruce, who almost dropped a double-double on 20 points and nine rebounds. Russell is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in the last nine games she's played. Kamryn Barnitz was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Warren had no problem doing just that on Saturday. They secured a 59-54 W over the Panthers. The win made it back-to-back wins for Warren.
Warren got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Mackenzie James-McGuire out in front who scored 17 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points James-McGuire has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Raylen Shotwell, who scored 13 points along with four steals.
Fairland's victory bumped their record up to 22-1. As for Warren, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-7 record this season.
Thursday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Fairland have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 47.7% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Warren struggles in that department as they've made 39.9% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Fairland was dealt a bruising 51-23 loss at the hands of Warren when the teams last played back in December of 2019. Can Fairland avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
