Preview: Banneker Bulldogs vs. Georgetown Day Mighty Hoppers
The Banneker Bulldogs's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Georgetown Day Mighty Hoppers at 12:00 p.m. on January 20th. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in District of Columbia (Banneker is ranked eighth, while Georgetown Day is ranked third).
Banneker suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Wednesday. Their tough 57-32 defeat to Jackson-Reed might stick with them for a while.
Despite the defeat, Banneker saw an underclassman step up: Promise Njoku scored 19 points along with four steals and two blocks. Njoku has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Rainelle McNeill, who scored eight points.
Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Georgetown Day beat Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart 43-39 on Wednesday.
Georgetown Day's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Nevaeh Roberson led the charge by scoring 13 points along with nine rebounds and five steals. Roberson hasn't dropped below two steals for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Madisyn Moore, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and ten rebounds.
Banneker has been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-5 record this season. As for Georgetown Day, their win bumped their record up to 8-6.
Saturday's match is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Banneker have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 18.5 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Georgetown Day struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 26.7 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Banneker was able to grind out a solid victory over Georgetown Day in their previous matchup back in February of 2023, winning 55-42. The rematch might be a little tougher for Banneker since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
