The Buckeye Valley Barons will head out to face off against the Franklin Heights Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Buckeye Valley has seven straight victories, Franklin Heights has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.
On Thursday, Buckeye Valley humbled Columbus Academy with a 56-21 victory. The Barons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matchups by 20 points or more this season.
| 01/20/24 @ Whitehall-Yearling | 4 |
| 01/30/25 vs Columbus Academy | 3 |
| 12/21/23 vs Wilson Central | 3 |
| 01/09/24 vs Grandview Heights | 3 |
| 01/11/25 vs Columbus School for Girls | 2 |
It was another big night for Ella Hazelrigg, who almost dropped a double-double on 22 points and nine boards. What's more, she also racked up three assists, the most she's had since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was MJ Cress, who went 5 for 6 en route to 10 points.
Meanwhile, Franklin Heights ended up a good deal behind Worthington Christian on Tuesday and lost 39-25.
Buckeye Valley will need focus on slowing down Kelia Wilson, one of several Franklin Heights players who made an impact when they last played. She posted six points in addition to seven rebounds and four steals. Kaitlyn Lemon also deserves some recognition as she posted her first assist of the season.
Even though they lost, Franklin Heights smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in nine consecutive contests.
Buckeye Valley is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-2 record this season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.2 points per game. As for Franklin Heights, their loss dropped their record down to 5-13.
Everything came up roses for Buckeye Valley against Franklin Heights when the teams last played back in December of 2024, as the team secured a 53-24 win. In that matchup, Buckeye Valley amassed a halftime lead of 32-9, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Saturday.
