Basketball Game Preview: Armstrong Wildcats vs. Varina Blue Devils

Armstrong and Varina are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2019, but not for long. The Armstrong Wildcats just played yesterday, but they'll still head out to face the Varina Blue Devils at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Varina took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Armstrong, who comes in off a win.

On Thursday, everything came up roses for Armstrong against Thomas Jefferson as the squad secured a 62-14 win.

Meanwhile, Varina was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their seventh straight loss. They were dealt a 48-16 defeat at the hands of J.R. Tucker. While losing is never fun, the Blue Devils can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 316th, while the Tigers are ranked 135th).

Armstrong will have to keep a close watch on Kya Ingram and Kaliyah Straughter, a pair of players who had a big impact on Varina's prior game. Ingram posted seven points and four steals, while Straughter earned four points in addition to eight boards and three blocks. Ingram is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last ten games she's played.

Even though they lost, Varina smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in 13 consecutive games.

Varina's loss dropped their record down to 2-11. As for Armstrong, their victory bumped their record up to 10-7.

Armstrong strolled past Varina in their previous matchup back in January by a score of 45-26. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Straughter, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Armstrong still be able to contain Straughter? There's only one way to find out.