Basketball Game Preview: Keystone Wildcats vs. Elyria Pioneers

The Keystone Wildcats and the Elyria Pioneers will round out the year against one another at at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Keystone has ten straight victories, Elyria has 26 straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Last Saturday, Keystone was able to grind out a solid win over Columbia, taking the game 51-38. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 128th, while the Raiders are ranked 312th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Keystone had a senior duo take command as Brooklyn Barber went 7 for 14 on her way to 18 points and Vivian Cassell posted six points in addition to ten boards and eight assists. Cassell has been hot for a while, having also posted two or more steals the last 11 times she's played. Madyson Sokolowski was another key player, dropping a double-double on 13 points and ten boards.

Keystone smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in ten consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Elyria lost to North Ridgeville on the road by a 54-39 margin on Saturday.

Keystone's victory was their 20th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-0. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 26.8 points per game. As for Elyria, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-8.

Everything came up roses for Keystone against Elyria in their previous matchup back in January, as the squad secured a 50-19 win. Will Keystone repeat their success, or does Elyria have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.