Basketball Game Preview: Columbus Cardinals vs. Randolph Ro-Hawks

The Columbus Cardinals will square off against the Randolph Ro-Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Columbus' favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.

Columbus is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They came out on top against Goliad by a score of 72-63. Given the Cardinals' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 505th, while the Tigers are ranked 1154th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Grayson Rigdon

Points

02/18/25 vs Goliad	50
02/11/25 @ Industrial	26
02/07/25 vs Edna	34
02/04/25 @ Yoakum	36
01/31/25 vs Rice Consolidated	38
+ 10 more games

It was another big night for Grayson Rigdon, who dropped a double-double with 50 points and 13 rebounds. The game was his 15th in a row with at least 19 points. Another player making a difference was Brody Tribe, who dropped a double-double with 11 points and ten boards.

Columbus smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 14 offensive rebounds in 12 consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Randolph, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Monday. They were the clear victor by a 70-47 margin over Hondo on Tuesday. The win continues a trend for the Ro-Hawks in their matchups with the Owls: they've now won three in a row.

Columbus' victory bumped their record up to 13-2. As for Randolph, their win bumped their record up to 22-7.

Columbus skirted past Randolph 57-55 in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Does Columbus have another victory up their sleeve, or will Randolph turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.