Preview: Teague Lions vs. Westwood Panthers
Teague is 8-2 against Westwood since January of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Teague Lions will be playing in front of their home fans against the Westwood Panthers at 7:30 p.m. Teague will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Texas Rankings (they are ranked 1010th, while Westwood is ranked 308th).
Teague suffered their biggest defeat since December 12, 2023 on Wednesday. They had to suffer through a rough 75-44 loss at the hands of Fairfield. Teague has not had much luck with Fairfield recently, as the team's come up short the last seven times they've met.
The losing side was boosted by Jehmel Rice, who scored 12 points along with nine rebounds and five assists. He has been hot recently, having posted eight or more rebounds the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Brayden Leija, who scored ten points.
Meanwhile, Westwood had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 29.6 points), and they went ahead and made it eight on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Franklin 85-83. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win Westwood has posted yet this season.
Westwood found their leader in underclassman Kavian Bryant, who dropped a double-double on 35 points and ten rebounds. Bryant is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last six games he's played. Chris Carter was another key contributor, scoring 12 points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Teague has been struggling recently, as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-9 record this season. As for Westwood, they pushed their record up to 17-5 with that win, which was their third straight at home.
Friday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Teague have been dynamite from deep this season, having only made 35.6% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Westwood struggles in that department as they've drained 40% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Teague was able to grind out a solid win over Westwood when the teams last played back in February of 2023, winning 58-49. Does Teague have another victory up their sleeve, or will Westwood turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
