Preview: Blue Ridge Fighting Tigers vs. Fountain Inn Fury
The Blue Ridge Fighting Tigers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Fountain Inn Fury at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Blue Ridge had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They enjoyed a cozy 57-40 win over Seneca on Wednesday. Given Blue Ridge's advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 29th, while Seneca is ranked 172nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Zikira henderson was her usual excellent self, scoring 21 points along with six rebounds and three steals. She has been hot recently, having posted 17 or more points the last seven times she's played. Another player making a difference was Claire Skinner, who dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds.
Meanwhile, Fountain Inn's game on Tuesday was all tied up 21-21 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They skirted past Woodruff 45-43. Winning is a bit easier when you outrebound your opponent 23 to 7 on the offensive boards, as Fountain Inn did.
Fountain Inn found their leader in underclassman Chaniya Jackson, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 18 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Madison Garnett, who scored two points along with seven rebounds.
Blue Ridge has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 games, which provided a nice bump to their 22-4 record this season. As for Fountain Inn, their victory bumped their record up to 19-7.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Blue Ridge have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 35 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Fountain Inn struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
