The Aiken Falcons on the road again on Tuesday and play against the Withrow Tigers at 7:30 p.m. on January 23rd. Aiken has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 342 points over their last five matches.
Aiken posted their biggest victory since December 2, 2023 on Tuesday. They blew past Hughes 70-50. Given Aiken's advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 54th, while Hughes is ranked 233rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Aiken got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was James Burnett out in front who scored 15 points along with five steals. Jaiden Arnold was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with three steals and two blocks.
Meanwhile, Withrow pushed their score all the way to 65 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 70-65 hit to the loss column at the hands of Western Hills. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Withrow in their matchups with Western Hills: they've now lost five in a row.
Despite their loss, Withrow saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Michael Johnson, who scored 25 points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Myles Rochelle, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 12 rebounds.
Even though they lost, Withrow smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Aiken's victory was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-4. As for Withrow, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-8.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the pair are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Aiken hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 65.9 points per game. It's a different story for Withrow, though, as they've been averaging only 51.8 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Aiken took a serious blow against Withrow in their previous meeting back in December of 2021, falling 64-25. Can Aiken avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
