Basketball Game Preview: Athens Warriors vs. Auburn Trojans

The Athens Warriors will face off against the Auburn Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Athens will head into Monday's contest on the come-up: they were handed a heart-breaking three-point defeat in their last match, but they sure didn't let that happen against Sangamon Valley/Tri-City on Monday. Athens blew past Sangamon Valley/Tri-City 51-23. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 211th, while the Storm are ranked 652nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Addie Stadsholt was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on ten points and 13 rebounds. She has been hot, having also posted two or more blocks the last eight times she's played. Another player making a difference was Ava Bee, who went 8 of 12 en route to 17 points and six boards.

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

Meanwhile, Auburn waltzed into their match on Monday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Everything went their way against the Hawks as they made off with a 50-26 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Trojans have posted against the Hawks since February 6, 2020.

Auburn has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-8 record this season. As for Athens, their victory bumped their record up to 13-8.

Athens might still be hurting after the 43-22 loss they got from Auburn in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. Can Athens avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.