Basketball Preview: McClatchy Lions vs. Kennedy Cougars
McClatchy has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the Kennedy Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. McClatchy will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps California Rankings (they are ranked 816th, while the Cougars are ranked 333rd).
McClatchy struggled with assists on Friday (the Titans had 16 more) and sadly the final score reflected it. McClatchy took a serious blow against the Titans, falling 70-31. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points McClatchy has scored all season.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Vincent Seyford, who scored ten points. Kendall Andrews was another key contributor, scoring six points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Kennedy came into Friday's match having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. Everything went their way against River City on Friday as Kennedy made off with a 63-42 victory. Kennedy pushed the score to 48-26 by the end of the third, a deficit the Raiders cut but never quite recovered from.
Dondre Prothro was his usual excellent self, scoring 21 points along with six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Lawrence, who scored nine points along with five steals.
McClatchy dropped their record down to 6-19 with that defeat, which was their sixth straight at home. As for Kennedy, their victory bumped their record up to 14-11.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: McClatchy have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Kennedy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 32.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
McClatchy came up short against the Cougars in their previous meeting back in January, falling 57-48. Can McClatchy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
