Preview: Richland Northeast Cavaliers vs. Irmo Yellowjackets
Richland Northeast has been on the road for two straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Irmo Yellowjackets at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Richland Northeast posted their closest victory yet this season on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Lugoff-Elgin 51-49.
It was another big night for Jaylen Tillman, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 15 rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of William Wilson, who scored eight points along with 13 rebounds and two blocks.
Meanwhile, Irmo's ten-game losing streak came to an end on Tuesday. They came out on top against Lugoff-Elgin by a score of 49-39.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Irmo to victory, but perhaps none more so than Matthew Hopkins, who scored 11 points. Jaden Henderson was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with five rebounds.
Richland Northeast's win bumped their record up to 12-8. As for Irmo, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-16.
Friday's game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Richland Northeast have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 43.8% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Irmo struggles in that department as they've made 37.9% of their threes per game this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Richland Northeast skirted past Irmo 47-45 when the teams last played on January 5th. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Irmo's Jeremy Anderson, who scored 13 points along with five rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Richland Northeast still be able to contain him? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
