Basketball Game Preview: Ellet Orangemen vs. Laurel Gators

The Ellet Orangemen will square off against the Laurel Gators at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Ellet is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.9 points per game this season.

Ellet will head into Friday's game on the come-up: they were handed a heart-breaking two-point loss in their last matchup, but they sure didn't let that happen against Walsh Jesuit on Friday. Ellet simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Walsh Jesuit 54-25. The Orangemen have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven contests by 22 points or more this season.

Caitlyn Holmes was her usual excellent self, dropping a triple-double on 11 points, ten boards, and 13 steals. What's more, she also racked up two blocks, the most she's had since back in January of 2024. Jaeda Tavares was another key player, going 6 for 10 on her way to 17 points.

Ellet smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 11 consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Laurel was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They fell 68-61 to Strongsville. While losing is never fun, the Gators can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 209th, while the Mustangs are ranked seventh).

Ellet pushed their record up to 9-2 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 22.0 points per game. As for Laurel, their loss dropped their record down to 3-8.

Ellet was dealt a bruising 73-30 defeat at the hands of Laurel in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. That match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Ellet was down 45-18.