The LaBrae Vikings had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 28.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They came out on top against Newton Falls by a score of 44-31. Given LaBrae's advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 255th, while Newton Falls is ranked 650th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
LaBrae got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Ella Kuszmaul out in front who scored 18 points along with five steals. Kuszmaul hasn't dropped below two steals for six straight games. Another player making a difference was Mariah Jones, who scored seven points along with eight rebounds and five steals.
LaBrae has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-2 record this season. As for Newton Falls, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-10 record this season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. LaBrae will take on Champion at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Champion will be looking to keep their three-game home win streak alive. As for Newton Falls, they will head out on the road to square off against Liberty at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Liberty is coming into the game on a three-game losing streak.
