Basketball Game Preview: Ragsdale Tigers vs. Northwest Guilford Vikings

The Ragsdale Tigers will venture away from home to challenge the Northwest Guilford Vikings at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Ragsdale has struggled recently with 13 defeats in a row, while Northwest Guilford will arrive with three straight wins.

Last Friday, Ragsdale came up short against Southwest Guilford and fell 62-53. While losing is never fun, the Tigers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 565th, while the Cowboys are ranked 128th).

Jahveer Branch

Assists (Career)

02/07/25 vs Southwest Guilford	4
01/08/25 vs Southeast Guilford	3
02/04/25 @ Southeast Guilford	2
12/13/24 vs Grimsley	2
01/31/25 @ Grimsley	1

Despite their loss, Ragsdale saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jahveer Branch, who almost dropped a double-double with nine points and nine boards, was perhaps the best of all. The dominant performance also gave Branch a new career-high in assists (four). Angel Rhoades was another key player, putting up 11 points and eight rebounds.

Meanwhile, Northwest Guilford posted their closest victory since December 10, 2024 on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 62-59 win over Southeast Guilford. The score was all tied up 30-30 at the break, but the Vikings were the better team in the second half.

Ragsdale's defeat dropped their record down to 1-20. As for Northwest Guilford, their victory bumped their record up to 11-8.

Ragsdale might still be hurting after the 62-36 loss they got from Northwest Guilford in their previous meeting back in January. Can Ragsdale avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.