Basketball Game Preview: Fairmont Firebirds vs. Centerville Elks

Fairmont and Centerville are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2020, but not for long. The Fairmont Firebirds will host the Centerville Elks at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Fairmont is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.8 points per game this season.

Fairmont will bounce into Saturday's game after beating Springboro, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. Fairmont came out on top against Springboro by a score of 51-43 on Wednesday.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Fairmont to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kaylah Thornton, who went 5 for 11 on her way to 13 points along with seven rebounds and seven steals. Thornton has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 11 times she's played. Another player making a difference was Janiyah Hargrave, who posted 15 points.

Chaminade Julienne Catholic typically has all the answers at home, but on Wednesday Centerville proved too difficult a challenge. They enjoyed a cozy 62-48 victory over the Eagles. The win was all the more spectacular given the Elks' disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 90th, while the Eagles are ranked 22nd).

Fairmont pushed their record up to 13-2 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.2 points per game. As for Centerville, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season.

Fairmont strolled past Centerville when the teams last played back in December of 2024 by a score of 68-53. Does Fairmont have another victory up their sleeve, or will Centerville turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.