Preview: Cannon Cougars vs. Lake Highland Prep Highlanders
The Cannon Cougars and the Lake Highland Prep Highlanders will face off at 12:45 p.m. on December 27th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, Cannon got the win against Oak City Prep by a conclusive 73-49. Given Cannon's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked fourth, while Oak City Prep is ranked 83rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Cannon's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Madison Drayton, who scored 14 points along with eight rebounds and three steals. The contest was Drayton's eighth in a row with at least ten points. Maya Mccorkle was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with five assists.
Meanwhile, Lake Highland Prep was fully in charge on Thursday, breezing past Booker 86-39 on the road. With Lake Highland Prep ahead 48-23 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Lake Highland Prep to victory, but perhaps none more so than Lexi Blue, who scored 23 points along with eight rebounds. Those 23 points set a new season-high mark for her. Another player making a difference was Ari Woodard, who scored 19 points along with five assists.
Cannon's win bumped their record up to 10-3. As for Lake Highland Prep, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 9-3.
Wednesday's matchup is shaping up to be a blowout: Cannon hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 64.2 points per game. It's a different story for Lake Highland Prep, though, as they've been averaging only 71.1 points per game. The only thing between Cannon and another offensive beatdown is Lake Highland Prep. Will they be able to keep them contained?
Cannon ended up a good deal behind Lake Highland Prep in their previous meeting back in December of 2020, losing 59-42. Can Cannon avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
