Preview: Idea Timberwolves vs. KIPP College Prep Panthers
The Idea Timberwolves will be home for the holidays to greet the KIPP College Prep Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. The timing is sure in Idea's favor as the team sits on six straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while KIPP College Prep has been banged up by seven consecutive losses on the road dating back to last season.
Idea scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 72-46 margin over SEED DC.
Idea's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Sean Baltimore led the charge by scoring 16 points along with four steals. That's the first time this season that Baltimore scored 15 or more points. Chris Hinton was another key contributor, scoring 13 points along with four steals.
Meanwhile, KIPP College Prep faced McKinley Tech in a battle between two of the state's top teams. KIPP College Prep took a 53-44 hit to the loss column at the hands of McKinley Tech on Tuesday.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Joey Mitchell, who scored 12 points along with seven rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaden Butler, who scored 11 points along with three steals.
KIPP College Prep struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only two offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Idea has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. As for KIPP College Prep, they now have a losing record at 2-3.
Keep an eye on the arc in Monday's match: Idea have been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 42.7% of their threes per game. However, it's not like KIPP College Prep struggles in that department as they've only nailed 35.4% of their threes per game this season. Given Idea's sizeable advantage in that area, KIPP College Prep will need to find a way to close that gap.
Idea suffered a grim 68-48 defeat to KIPP College Prep in their previous matchup back in February of 2020. Thankfully for Idea, Saveon Jackson (who scored 26 points along with nine rebounds and five assists) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
