Mayors Cup week is here.
Walsh will host rival Malone in the annual battle for the neighborhood college basketball trophy on Saturday. The women's race will start at 1 p.m. The men's race will follow.
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Here are some things you need to know about the teams taking part in this weekend's matches.
What is at stake for all four teams?
In addition to neighborhood bragging rights, postseason hopes are on the line.
Walsh (16-4, 10-4) went into Thursday's game at Ashland in a three-way tie for first place in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament. The Cavaliers have climbed back into contention by winning 9 of their last 10 G-MAC games.
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Malone has a problem. Despite winning two straight, the Pioneers (12-12, 5-11) are four games out of the final G-MAC Tournament berth with four to play.
In G-MAC women's basketball action, Malone (14-9, 10-5) is fighting for home-court advantage in the first round of the conference tournament. The Pioneers entered the week just a half game out of No. 3.
Walsh (5-15, 3-11) is on the brink of elimination. The Cavs entered Thursday's game trailing league-leading Ashland 5 1/2 games out of a tournament spot with six to play.
What happened in the first matches of the season?
The two games played at Malone's Osborne Hall on Jan. 11 went down to the wire.
Brinn Hunt's 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in overtime led Malone to a 62-60 women's victory. Her game-winner helped the Pioneers snap a four-game losing streak to Walsh dating back to the 2020-21 season.
The men's race also went to overtime with Walsh edging Malone 79-71. The Cavs rallied from an 18-point deficit and scored the final five points of regulation to force overtime.
Garrison Keeslar scored Walsh's first seven points in overtime and led the way with 24 points.
Which players should you watch out for?
Keeslar is one of the top men's all-around players in the G-MAC. He went into the Ashland game averaging 15.9 points and a team-leading 5.5 steals.
Walsh's Kobe Mitchell ranked No. 1 in the conference in three-pointers made with 63. The Akron transfer was also fourth in scoring at 17.4 points per game.
Malone guard Simon Blair scored a career-high 35 points in the Jan. 11 game against Walsh. He ranks fifth in the G-MAC in scoring with an average of 17.3 points.
Pioneers guard Aaron Badibo is averaging 20.7 points and 11.3 rebounds over his last three games. He is second in the G-MAC in rebounding with 8.7 per game.
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Badibo's offensive rebound and basket with less than a second left Saturday led Malone to a 74-72 win at Findlay.
Malone center Erin Kaufman, the 2022-23 G-MAC Women's Freshman of the Year, leads the conference in rebounding with nearly 10 a game. She also ranks eighth in scoring with an average of 14.0 points.
Forward Kiley Dyrlund entered the Ashland game leading Walsh with 13.4 points per game. He scored a season-high 28 against Ohio Dominican on Jan. 13.
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