Preview: Westlake Wolverines vs. Leonardtown Raiders
The Westlake Wolverines will be playing in front of their home fans against the Leonardtown Raiders at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Leonardtown took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Westlake, who comes in off a win.
Westlake posted their biggest victory yet this season on Wednesday. They really took it to Patuxent for the full four quarters, racking up a 69-41 victory on the road. With Westlake ahead 40-19 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Among those leading the charge was Melvin Newman, who scored 13 points along with seven steals and six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Julius Johnson Jr was another key contributor, scoring six points along with 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Leonardtown lost to Chopticon on the road by a decisive 59-45 margin on Friday.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Landon Windell, who scored eight points. Another player making a difference was Aaron Green, who scored four points along with seven rebounds and four steals.
Even though they lost, Leonardtown smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
The win makes it two in a row for Westlake and bumps their season record up to 5-7. As for Leonardtown, their loss dropped their record down to 6-4.
Friday's match is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Westlake have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 35.1 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Leonardtown, though, as they've been averaging only 32.5 rebounds per game. Given Westlake's sizeable advantage in that area, Leonardtown will need to find a way to close that gap.
Westlake came up short against Leonardtown in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, falling 67-62. Can Westlake avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
