Memorial and Newton Falls are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2019, but not for long. The Memorial Red Devils will head out on the road to challenge the Newton Falls Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Memorial was handed a 32-point defeat in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against Struthers on Tuesday. Memorial came out on top in a nail-biter against Struthers and snuck past 53-50. The win was just what Memorial needed coming off of a 87-55 loss in their prior contest.
Memorial's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Aziyah Flores, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 13 rebounds, and David Moore, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 14 rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Moore has scored at least a third of Memorial's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Adyn Vazquez, who scored eight points.
Meanwhile, Newton Falls entered their tilt with Windham with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. Newton Falls simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Windham 61-24 at home. Newton Falls has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matches by 20 points or more this season.
Newton Falls' success was spearheaded by the efforts of Jabriel Rufai, who scored 17 points along with six rebounds and five assists, and Alex Stinson, who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and six assists. It was the first time this season that Stinson scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Zach Stinson, who scored four points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Memorial has been performing well recently as they've won 11 of their last 14 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. As for Newton Falls, they pushed their record up to 16-5 with that victory, which was their eighth straight at home.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Memorial have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 32.7 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Newton Falls struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.6 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Memorial beat Newton Falls 47-40 in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Memorial since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
