Buckeye Valley is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Whitehall-Yearling is on a six-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Buckeye Valley Barons will host the Whitehall-Yearling Rams at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are at an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2020, but likely not for long.
Last Friday, Buckeye Valley strolled past Bishop Ready with points to spare, taking the game 42-26. Given the Barons' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 103rd, while the Silver Knights are ranked 486th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
| 01/24/25 @ Bishop Ready | 14 |
| 02/02/24 @ Columbus Academy | 14 |
| 12/14/24 vs Bishop Ready | 13 |
| 01/11/25 vs Columbus School for Girls | 11 |
| 12/05/23 vs Whitehall-Yearling | 11 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Buckeye Valley to victory, but perhaps none more so than Avelina Wagner, who went 6 of 11 en route to 14 points in addition to seven assists and four steals. That's the most points Wagner has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Ella Hazelrigg, who posted 11 points along with seven boards and three steals.
Meanwhile, Whitehall-Yearling was able to grind out a solid victory over Columbus School for Girls on Friday, taking the game 40-31.
Whitehall-Yearling's win came from a few key players Buckeye Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kyeona Myers, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds. Her evening made it ten games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Aliyah Wilson was another key player, putting up five points in addition to five boards and three steals.
Whitehall-Yearling smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in seven consecutive matches.
Whitehall-Yearling's win bumped their record up to 14-3. As for Buckeye Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 14-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Buckeye Valley has been crashing the rebounds this season, having averaged 31 boards per game. However, it's not like Whitehall-Yearling struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.6 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything went Buckeye Valley's way against Whitehall-Yearling when the teams last played back in December of 2024, as Buckeye Valley made off with a 60-40 win. Will Buckeye Valley repeat their success, or does Whitehall-Yearling have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
