Basketball Game Preview: Ashley Screaming Eagle vs. Laney Buccaneers

Ashley hasn't had much luck against Laney recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Ashley Screaming Eagle will host the Laney Buccaneers at 7:30 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Ashley sitting on five straight wins and Laney on three.

While Ashley didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They enjoyed a cozy 63-46 victory over St. Pauls on Wednesday. The Screaming Eagle pushed the score to 46-25 by the end of the third, a deficit the Bulldogs cut but never quite recovered from.

Ashley's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Cole Lewis led the charge by going 6 for 7 on his way to 12 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Keyon Jones, who went 5 of 7 en route to 11 points and eight rebounds.

Meanwhile, Laney strolled past West Brunswick with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 52-35.

Laney had a senior duo take command as Avery Pruitt dropped a double-double on 15 points and 13 rebounds and Alan Studebaker dropped a double-double on 19 points and ten boards. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Studebaker has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Colin Lamb, who posted seven points in addition to eight boards and six assists.

Laney now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Ashley, their win bumped their record up to 5-2.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Ashley has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 28.3 boards per game. However, it's not like Laney struggles in that department as they've been averaging 33.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

Ashley took a serious blow against Laney in their previous meeting back in February, falling 76-46. That matchup was all but decided by halftime, at which point Ashley was down 40-20.