Preview: Reno Huskies vs. McQueen Lancers
Reno is 9-1 against McQueen since February of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Reno Huskies will head out on the road to take on the McQueen Lancers at 7:00 p.m. McQueen took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Reno, who comes in off a win.
Last Friday, Reno beat Bishop Manogue 52-45. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Reno.
It was another big night for Harvey Smerdon, who scored 18 points. Jackson Higgins was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with five rebounds.
Meanwhile, McQueen's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight loss. Their tough 79-53 defeat to Damonte Ranch might stick with them for a while. While losing is never fun, McQueen can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nevada basketball rankings (they are ranked 53rd, while Damonte Ranch is ranked seventh).
Despite the loss, McQueen saw an underclassman step up: Kade Snyder dropped a double-double on 25 points and 11 rebounds. That was a full 47.2% of McQueen's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Torrie Simmons, who scored 12 points.
Reno is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 19-5 record this season. As for McQueen, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost eight of their last ten matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-13 record this season.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Reno have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 41.4% of their threes per game. However, it's not like McQueen struggles in that department as they've made 38.3% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Reno was able to grind out a solid win over McQueen in their previous meeting back in January, winning 54-41. The rematch might be a little tougher for Reno since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
