The Moberly Spartans are taking a road trip to challenge the Marshall Owls at 7:45 p.m. on Friday. Moberly will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
On Tuesday, Moberly beat Hannibal 55-45. Given the Spartans' advantage in MaxPreps' Missouri basketball rankings (they are ranked 44th, while the Pirates are ranked 312th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Moberly's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Amar'E Hawkins led the charge by going 6-for-11 en route to 14 points and five steals. With that strong performance, Hawkins is now averaging an impressive 2.1 steals per game. Ethan Land was another key player, putting up ten points.
Meanwhile, Marshall suffered their closest defeat since February 1st on Friday. They fell just short of Fulton by a score of 66-64. The Owls have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Moberly will have to contain Chase Thompson as he made an impact in Marshall's last game. He shot 52% from the field on his way to 32 points. Another player making a difference was Brody Kueker, who posted eight points and seven boards.
Moberly's win bumped their record up to 6-1. As for Marshall, their loss dropped their record down to 5-2.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Moberly has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 29.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Marshall struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.4 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Moberly beat Marshall 65-55 in their previous meeting back in February. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Thompson, who went 10-for-16 to rack up 25 points. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Spartans still be able to contain Thompson? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
