Basketball Game Preview: Fairland Dragons vs. Gallia Academy Blue Devils

Fairland is 10-0 against Gallia Academy since January of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Fairland Dragons will take on the Gallia Academy Blue Devils at 6:45 p.m. Fairland knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully Gallia Academy likes a good challenge.

Last Wednesday, Fairland humbled Portsmouth West with a 72-31 victory. The Dragons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 matches by 30 points or more this season.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Fairland to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kamryn Barnitz, who went 9 of 19 on her way to 24 points and five steals. That's the most points Barnitz has posted since back in December of 2024. Bailey Russell was another key player, going 6 for 14 en route to 17 points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile, Gallia Academy beat Wellston 47-34 on Tuesday. Given the Blue Devils' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 335th, while the Golden Rockets are ranked 674th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Fairland pushed their record up to 15-3 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 22.0 points per game. As for Gallia Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a massive bump to their 8-10 record this season.

Everything came up roses for Fairland against Gallia Academy in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, as the squad secured an 84-52 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Fairland since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.