Preview: Chillicothe Eagles vs. Benjamin Mustangs
Chillicothe is 0-10 against Benjamin since December of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Chillicothe Eagles will head out on the road to face off against the Benjamin Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Chillicothe has struggled recently with seven defeats in a row, while Benjamin will arrive with ten straight wins.
Last Friday, Chillicothe was beaten by Electra 83-9. While losing is never fun, Chillicothe can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas basketball rankings (they are ranked 1655th, while Electra is ranked 750th).
In what's become a running theme this season, Benjamin gave their fans yet another huge win on Friday. They took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 102-19 win over Northside. Benjamin's offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Grayson Rigdon continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, shooting 5-for-7 from downtown and dropping a double-double on 50 points and 13 rebounds. That makes it ten consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Benjamin's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Keegan Hayes, who dropped a triple-double on ten points, 13 rebounds, and 18 assists.
Chillicothe's defeat was their 13th straight at home, which bumped their record down to 1-7. Those losses could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 19.4 points per game. As for Benjamin, their win bumped their record up to 10-0.
Chillicothe took a serious blow against Benjamin in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, falling 89-7. Thankfully for Chillicothe, Brody White (who dropped a triple-double on 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
