R.J. Reynolds and Reagan are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2021, but not for long. The R.J. Reynolds Demons will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against the Reagan Raiders at 6:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
R.J. Reynolds is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They snuck past West Forsyth with a 58-52 win on Thursday. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Demons' disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 456th, while the Titans are ranked 129th).
R.J. Reynolds got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Evie Beale out in front who almost dropped a double-double on 11 points and nine assists. Hattie Boone was another key player, going 7 for 12 on her way to 14 points and six rebounds.
Beale wasn't the only one working in the assists department: R.J. Reynolds was working as a unit and finished the game with 20 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Reagan entered their tilt with Mount Tabor on Thursday with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Spartans, sneaking past 57-54. That's two games straight that the Raiders have won by exactly three points.
Reagan's win came from a few key players R.J. Reynolds will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Grace Galyon, who posted 17 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kayla George, who put up 17 points and three steals.
Reagan has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.6 points per game. As for R.J. Reynolds, their victory bumped their record up to 4-7.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: R.J. Reynolds has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 35.9 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Reagan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 29.2 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
R.J. Reynolds was able to grind out a solid win over Reagan in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, winning 57-44. Does R.J. Reynolds have another victory up their sleeve, or will Reagan turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
