The Lackey Chargers will take on the Patuxent Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Lackey has 12 straight wins, Patuxent has 15 straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.
Lackey will bounce into Friday's contest after beating North Point, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Lackey had just enough and edged North Point out 51-49. Given the Chargers' advantage in MaxPreps' Maryland basketball rankings (they are ranked 50th, while the Eagles are ranked 167th), the result on Monday wasn't entirely unexpected.
The match pitted two dominant guards against one another in Malik Gordon and Landhn Mathis. Gordon had a great game and posted 18 points and four steals. Meanwhile, Mathis was balling out in the loss, putting up 25 points and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Patuxent played a tough game on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They took a blow against St. Charles, falling 73-35. The Panthers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 45-13.
Lackey will need to focus on slowing down Kamauri Jones, one of several Patuxent players who made an impact when they last played. He earned seven points and three steals.
Lackey pushed their record up to 18-2 with the victory, which was their eighth straight on the road. As for Patuxent, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-15.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Lackey hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 59.5 points per game. It's a different story for Patuxent, though, as they've been averaging only 39 points. The only thing between Lackey and another offensive beatdown is Patuxent. Will they be able to keep them contained?
Lackey was able to grind out a solid win over Patuxent in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, winning 56-48. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Patuxent's Jacari Frederick, who dropped a double-double with 18 points and 12 boards. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Lackey to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
