Basketball Game Preview: Memorial Red Devils vs. Mineral Ridge Rams

The Memorial Red Devils will challenge the Mineral Ridge Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Memorial's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last six contests.

Memorial is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Jackson-Milton just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Tuesday. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 74-73 to the Bluejays. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Red Devils came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 340th, while the Bluejays are ranked 685th).

Memorial might have lost, but man, Josue Rodriguez was a machine: he dropped a double-double on 22 points and 14 rebounds. That's the most boards Rodriguez has posted since back in December of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Demetrius Lambert Jr., who went 5 for 8 en route to 13 points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, Mineral Ridge entered their tilt with Springfield on Tuesday with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. They skirted past the Tigers 50-47.

Mineral Ridge's win came from a few key players Memorial will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Landon Bingham, who posted 15 points. Another player making a difference was Chase Moore, who had 11 points.

Mineral Ridge pushed their record up to 10-7 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.3 points per game. As for Memorial, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 12-1 and their overall record down to 15-4.

Memorial was able to grind out a solid victory over Mineral Ridge in their previous meeting back in January, winning 59-51. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Moore, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 15 boards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Memorial still be able to contain Moore? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.